Dec. 14--A woman died in a fire that erupted in a building in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side early Sunday morning, officials said.
The blaze started on the third floor of a partially occupied three-story courtyard building around 1:18 a.m. in the 7900 block of South Maryland Avenue, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Juan Hernandez.
An adult woman, whose exact age was not available immediately, was found dead on the scene on an upper floor of the building, and six other people were displaced as a result of the blaze, fire officials said.
The woman was in her 30s, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Over 100 firefighters were on the scene battling the fire, which was struck out around 2:30 a.m., said Chicago Fire Department District Chief Tim Sampey on the scene.
He said fire personnel initially had a tough time getting to the source of the blaze.
"The stairwells were inaccessible ... due to a heavy fire volume," Sampey said. "We had to make entry via ladders."
No other injuries as a result of the fire were reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
