Thirteen people were transported to hospitals after fire tore through a five-story apartment building in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood Monday afternoon.
None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said residents of the building, at 1040 W. Hollywood Ave., were trapped on the third floor. There were multiple ladder rescues with several dozen people plucked from windows as smoke filled their apartments.
"I thought I was going to die," one woman said.
A pregnant woman was one of those rushed to the hospital after she jumped out of a first floor window to escape, WBBM-TV reported.
The fire started in the basement of the apartment building, which has 96 apartment units, officials said. It took just over an hour for firefighters to ensure that the blaze was completely extinguished.
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago dispatched Disaster Action Team members to the scene to assist residents, according to a release from the Red Cross. The agency sent the disaster workers to care for anyone who may be displaced by the fire.
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