Four firefighters were burned in a backdraft that erupted during a blaze Sunday afternoon at a West Side residential building.
The fire, in the 4900 block of West Potomac Avenue in the city’s Austin neighborhood, had been extinguished as of about 12:30 p.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Four firefighters -- two in their 50s, one in his 40s and a fourth about 30 -- were injured and taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions have stabilized, according to the Fire Department.
Additionally, five people were checked out by paramedics on the scene but declined to be taken to a hospital. Six people were displaced, according to the Fire Department.
The four firefighters suffered first- and second-degree burns after the flames suddenly intensified, forcing some firefighters to jump from a second-story window, officials said.
Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Jose Santiago said firefighters tracked the source of the fire near a kitchen on the second floor. As they entered into that area, the heat and size of the fire surged -- something often referred to as a backdraft -- forcing them to retreat, Santiago said.
"As the firefighters make entry, you may have a fire just sitting there, and the only thing it's lacking is oxygen," he said. "In order for firefighters to get in there, they're going to open doors, and it will start feeding that fire. Sometimes, it's like an explosion. They're engulfed in fire."