Car Catches Fire in Near North Side High-Rise

Fire on the 900 block of North Lake Shore Drive prompts large response

One child was taken to a hospital as a precaution after a fire in a high-rise building in Chicago's Near North Side neighborhood.

Firefighters said the fire, on the 900 block of North Lake Shore Drive, started at about 3 a.m. in a car in the building's basement.

Crews quickly got the fire under control but it caused a great deal of smoke, particularly on the lower level floors of the 29-story building, a fire department spokesman said. That smoke was cleared through the building's ventilation system as well as fans brought in by the Chicago Fire Department.

A 2-year-old boy was transported to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in good condition and was expected to be released later Thursday, said police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.

The fire brought a large response from the fire department.

"Because it's a high-rise building, there's a number of people in the building, we have to get everybody in place as quickly as we can and we need the manpower to do that," said firefighter Paul Fortsch. "We have to react fast and ensure the safety of the residents of the building."

There are about 400 apartment units in the building, Fortsch said.

How the car caught on fire was not known as of 5:30 a.m.

Copyright Chicago Sun-Times
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