By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Chicago firefighter was critically injured after falling through a collapsed floor while battling an apartment fire on March 16, officials said.
• The firefighter suffered extensive second- and third-degree burns and was transported to a hospital in serious-to-critical condition.
• Crews responded to a four-story residential building on North Shore Avenue and encountered heavy fire conditions throughout the structure.
• The firefighter was rescued within about a minute by other crews; the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago firefighter was critically injured after falling through a collapsed floor while battling a multi-story apartment fire on the city’s Far North Side, according to fire officials.
The incident occurred March 16 at a residential building on West North Shore Avenue, where crews responded in under 10 minutes and initially appeared to gain control of the fire, officials said.
During interior operations, a portion of the first floor collapsed, sending the firefighter into the basement. Members of a rescue company removed the firefighter in under a minute, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
The firefighter was transported to a local hospital in serious-to-critical condition with extensive second- and third-degree burns, officials said.
Authorities said the fire, which extended through multiple floors of the building, remains under investigation.