Chicago hotel evacuated after flames seen shooting from sidewalk in electrical vault fire

Fire at West Town hotel forces evacuations

Soho House Chicago guests were evacuated ealry Wednesday morning due to a fire near the West Town hotel. Green Street was shut down as crews secured the scene.

CHICAGO - An electrical vault fire prompted a hazmat situation and the evacuation of a hotel Wednesday morning on Chicago's Near West Side.

The fire started in a ComEd electrical vault around 4 a.m. underneath the sidewalk of Soho House located at 113. N Green St. The Chicago Fire Department issued a Level 1 Hazmat around 5 a.m. in response to the fire and later upgraded it to a Level 2 to bring more resources to the scene.

Staff and guests said they heard loud rattling in the private members' club and hotel before the fire broke out and evacuations were ordered.

Electrical vault fire forces evacuations at West Town hotel

Flames were seen shooting out of a sidewalk, prompting a hazmat situation and the evacuation of a hotel Wednesday morning on Chicago's Near West Side.

Suley Dimas was inside the hotel kitchen at 3:30 a.m., preparing pastries. She thought at first it was a kitchen fire. She heard the fire department announcement over a speaker, alerting occupants they had to leave the building.

Mikey Worrall was on holiday from England. He said he happened to be awake and heard loud crashing noises, which he thought were construction noises. He said he did not expect to experience an evacuation while on holiday.

Chicago Fire Chief Robert Jurewicz said the entire vault, a 30-foot-long tunnel, about 15 feet deep, was full of smoke and ComEd’s equipment was in flames.

ComEd shut off power for a roughly one-block radius as they investigated the scene. After the power was shut off, firefighters were able to put the fire out around 6 a.m.

No injuries were reported.