March 31--Three people, including a firefighter, were injured in two separate fires that broke out Tuesday morning on the Southeast and Near Southwest sides.
Two people in their 70s were hurt after a blaze started around 5:05 a.m. in a 1 1/2;-story house in the 9600 block of South Woodlawn Avenue in the Cottage Grove Heights neighborhood, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Jeff Lyle said.
One person was in critical condition and one was in a serious-to-stable condition, Lyle said. It was not immediately clear where they were hospitalized, he said.
As of 6 a.m., firefighters had finished battling the fire and were cleaning up the area, Lyle said.
Earlier, a firefighter was injured when an extra-alarm fire broke out in a three-story building around 3 a.m. in the Pilsen neighborhood on the Near Southwest Side, Lyle said.
The blaze started in a vacant building in the 1300 block of West Cullerton Street at 2:59 a.m., and the fire was upgraded around 3:19 a.m., Lyle said.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to Rush University Medical Center, Lyle said.
At the scene, several neighbors stood on a sidewalk and watched the firefighters. Some were carrying pets and small children.
Neighbors said the building that caught fire has been vacant for at least a year and that renovations have been going on for the past few months.
The causes of both fires were still under investigation early Tuesday.
