A 27-year-old woman was accused of setting fire to a South Shore apartment building, injuring six people, after she had an argument with her boyfriend, police said.
Whitney Holmes, of the 200 block of East 72nd Street, was charged with aggravated arson and domestic battery after police said she set her 24-year-old boyfriend’s couch on fire inside an apartment in the South Shore neighborhood Wednesday.
The blaze, which broke out just after 10 p.m. in the 7100 block of South Jeffery Boulevard, sent dozens of residents running out of the four-story apartment building, some needing rescue from responding firefighters. Nearly 80 firefighters and paramedics were on scene as the apartment building went up in flames, taking firefighters over an hour to put out, fire officials said.
Six people were taken to area hospitals, all of which were in good or fair condition, officials said.
Fire officials said the fire started on the top floor apartment and later spread into the hallway of the apartment building. It appeared the fire started after a woman set a couch on fire following a dispute with her boyfriend, according to police.
