Two people, including a child, are recovering after a fire burned through an apartment on the Near West Side Sunday afternoon.
The fire happened around 1:40 p.m. in the close of an apartment the seventh floor of a building at 2334 West Van Buren Street, according to Fire Chief Don Hroma.
Firefighter Benjamin Villa was part of the crew that responded to fire. He was notified by a woman that her 3-year-old grandson was trapped in the burring unit.
Villa worked with another firefighter to forcefully open the door into the apartment. The smoke was so thick, he had to feel around on the floor for the boy.
"One we got into the bedroom, that's where I could feel the child on the floor," Villa said. "He was not moving, but he was breathing and making sounds, so I immediately grabbed him.
Villa then carried the boy down seven flights of stairs. The boy was transported to a hospital in critical, but stable condition.
There was also a second victim.
"There was one other woman, I believe she's the mother, 42-year-old and was transported with the child for smoke," Hroma said.
There was no smoke detector in the apartment, but there were smoke detectors in the hallway, said Hroma.
When asked if he was a hero, Villa said he was a just a piece of the puzzle.
"It takes a team to help someone like this, for someone who is fighting for their life," he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
