A 51-year-old woman died Tuesday morning after she jumped from the upper floor of an apartment building that caught fire on Chicago's North Side.
There was a massive response to the fire in the 1700-block of West Touhy Avenue in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood.
When they arrived, the back porches were fully engulfed smoke billowed out of the building. Fire officials said the fire started on those porches and spread inside. Firefighters had to saw a hole in the roof to let more smoke out.
A resident told ABC7 Eyewitness News that her boyfriend's mother woke her up and told her they had to get out fast."I was all calm about it, but then when I seen it, I was scared. Not knowing how to react, what to do next," said Diana Garcia, who escaped the fire.
The woman who jumped from the building was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her identity has not yet been released.
A second woman was hurt in the fire. She was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.The blaze was extinguished before 6:30 a.m. The building sustained heavy damage.
The American Red Cross will help the displaced find a place to stay.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
AS REPORTED BY ABC 7 CHICAGO NEWS