A witness captured footage of the moment firefighters were able to rescue a baby from a blaze in a high-rise in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood.
Firefighters raised their ladder toward billowing smoke emanating from one of the building’s windows. The video shows a woman holding a tiny baby as she climbs through the window and down the fire department’s ladder toward a first responder who was able to secure the child. (RELATED: Firefighters Rescue Woman Who Fell Down 25-Foot Sink Hole)
The baby was not the only person who firefighters saved, NBC 5 reported. Dozens of witnesses watched nervously as firefighters struggled to save others from the burning building.
“There was a lady hanging out the window, and she was saying that she needed help,” witness Dominick Williams told NBC 5. “And the fire department, they didn’t know how big the fire was, so when they came and got her, everybody started hanging out of the building.”
“I saw the firefighters rescue at least two people,” witness Lupino Dickerson said. “They took care of business. I am proud of Chicago’s Fire Department.”
As the fire raged and firefighters worked to get up to people screaming from their windows, one person decided to jump from the fourth floor, NBC 5 reported. Although the person survived, witness Warren Mack, Jr. said, “It’s sad. It’s sad.”
Chicago Fire officials said that a total of seven people, including the baby, were hospitalized due to the blaze, NBC 5 reported. The infant is in critical condition.
Investigators are currently looking into the fire’s cause. Chicago Fire Department officials noted that the blaze started on the building’s second floor, NBC 5 reported.