Nov. 22--Five people were injured in a fire that broke out Saturday afternoon in a bedroom on the 50th floor of the John Hancock Center, officials said.
None of the injuries was considered serious, officials said at a late-afternoon news conference. One person was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. One of the injured was a police officer who suffered from smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, officials said.
Police closed traffic on North Michigan Avenue because of the fire, which started on a residential floor. As of about 3:30 p.m., fire officials, who said the fire had been put out, brought in more personnel to help with searches and well-being checks for building occupants.
Firefighters were performing top-to-bottom searches of the stairwells to make sure all people were accounted for as of about 5 p.m., officials said. The skyscraper was never evacuated.
Earlier Saturday, flames could be seen shooting out of a window on the 50th floor, catching the attention of Michigan Avenue shoppers, some of whom were getting ready for the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. A smoky smell lingered near the ground several hours later.
On the street outside the building, the mood was calm. Shoppers continued browising at the North Face and Best Buy stores inside the Hancock building.
Tourist Matthew Trede came to Chicago for Sunday's football game between the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. He said he was at the bar on the 96th floor and the elevator wouldn't come.
Trede said he and his friends could smell smoke. After a while a manager came to evacuate them down the stairs, he said.
With the terrorist attack in Paris fresh in his mind, Trede said he felt scared and texted his mother "I love you," just in case.
"With everything going on in the world you never know," he said.
gpratt@tribpub.com
