Aug. 01--A Chicago firefighter was hospitalized Saturday morning following an apartment fire in Bridgeport, officials said.
The 55-year-old fire officer suffered medical problems as crews were cleaning up following the 6:30 a.m. fire in the 500 block of West 31 st Street, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Chief Jeff Lyle. He initially was taken to Mercy Hospital and then transferred to Stroger Hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Crews originally were called to what was described as a rubbish fire, but it was upgraded to a still-and-box alarm, which sends at least eight pieces of fire equipment to a scene, when it was determined to involve an apartment over a business, Lyle said.
The fire was extinguished by about 6:55 a.m. and the fire officer suffered the medical problems after that, Lyle said. Doctors were evaluating several things, including whether heat might have played a role in what happened, Lyle said.
