Fire in Stone Park destroys several apartments, kills 2 pets

STONE PARK, Illinois - A devastating blow to families in four multi-unit buildings in Stone Park near 36th and Lemoyne.

The Saturday afternoon fire quickly jumped from one building to the next fast. One man barely made it out with his eight year old son. He’s giving credit to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, whose medallion he wears around his neck everyday.  

“I grabbed my son and I got out, but I felt the fire just coming in , I felt the fire like pushed us so. This is what I’m left with my sandals, my son came outside with no shoes. I’m just shocked," said Pedro Rivera, fire victim. 

The tight knit community is coming together to support those who have lost everything. The fire started around 3:00. Witnesses say right from the start the flames were intense, and on a windy afternoon, it didn’t take much for them to engulf the original fire building plus three others and a garage. The heat also melted siding on a few other garages as well. 

“Obviously I didn’t feel safe and I parked and ran back and at that time I saw that the whole apartment building was already in flames and it was all in a matter of like 10-15 min that the majority of them were already burning,” said Abby Cano. 

We’re hearing that no person was injured, but that a dog and a cat were killed.