Pilsen building collapses due to fire

CHICAGO - A building caught fire and collapsed Wednesday night in the Pilsen neighborhood.

The blaze started around 8:15 p.m. at a two-and-a-half story building that was under construction in the 1300 block of West 16th Street, according to Chicago fire officials.

The flames were so big that firefighters had to evacuate the neighboring houses to save lives. More than 100 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire, hitting the blaze with water from all sides and from above with ladder trucks. 

"We took two lines and protected the exposures," CFD 1st District Chief Jim McDonough said. "There wasn't much saving the original fire building was completely involved and had already started to collapse, so we worried about our two exposure buildings." 

McDonough said the building was under construction and no one was inside it at the time of the fire. The people who were evacuated from surrounding residences were offered assistance from the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Image courtesy of the Chicago Fire Department