Fire in Chinatown causes substantial damage, no injuries

CHICAGO - A fire broke out Tuesday morning at a building in Chinatown, causing substantial damage but no injuries.

A battalion chief noticed the fire and called in help about 11:30 a.m. at 2223 S. Wentworth Ave., according to Chicago Fire Dept. spokesman Larry Langford. The Kpop of Chinatown storefront is located at that address.

A fire engine positioned itself on the Cermak Road feeder ramp to douse the building’s back porch, which was engulfed by flames, he said.

One woman who escaped on her own was evaluated by paramedics, but refused to go to a hospital, Langford said.

The fire was put out in a half hour.

“There’s no (known) cause of the fire yet,” Langford said. “The damage is probably substantial.”

The building is located on a corridor of Chinatown that is mixed-use commercial and residential apartments.

The CTA’s #24 Wentworth buses were rerouted while firefighters worked the scene.

In March 2019, a dozen people were displaced with a fire erupted in a home in the 300 block of West 24th Street.