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A teenage girl is in critical condition following a dramatic rescue from a house fire on Chicago’s Southwest Side, which occurred early Friday. She is currently receiving care at Comer Children’s Hospital, according to officials.
The fire chief highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that the home’s smoke detectors were not operational, making the rescue even more perilous.
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Footage captured on a cell phone revealed thick, black smoke pouring from a residence near West 71st Street and South Hoyne Avenue. Firefighters rushed to the scene just before 11:30 a.m., where they managed to save one individual from the inferno.
“During the primary search of the home, they discovered a 13-year-old girl inside and promptly removed her from the building,” stated Gary Brooks, Deputy Chief of the Chicago Fire Department’s 5th District.
Emergency responders immediately administered CPR to the girl while firefighters continued to tackle the flames.
“I walked up and saw a lady laying down on the snow, and she couldn’t breathe,” witness Andrew Davis said.
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“She looked like she was in rough shape… 12 to 13 year old… we see her around, so it was tough to see,” neighbor Arnold Hernandez said.
The home was left gutted, with most of the damage to the front of the building.
The Chicago Fire Department says there were smoke detectors inside the home, but they were not working during the time of the fire. Thankfully, firefighters got there just in time.
“When you have smoke detectors but they don’t work,” Deputy District Chief Brooks said. “There is not enough time to alert the individual inside the home, so it has a little bit of time to build up heat and energy. It grows and gets very intense.”
Neighbors say they also jumped in to help and took in the family’s dog who was scared and ran out during the fire.
“We have the dog with us,” Hernandez said. “He’s not burned up, but you could see residue smoke on his paws. So we have him in our care now.”
The fire is believed to have been caused by an unattended candle, the Chicago Fire Department said.
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