Nearly two dozen people were displaced by a two-alarm fire in the Gresham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side early Thursday, officials said.
Authorities said the blaze began around 3 a.m. in the 1600 block of West 87th Street.
Residents awoke to heavy smoke, others to the sound of smoke alarms and were able to escape safely with pets in tow.
Twenty-two people were evacuated and sat in a warming bus for hours with assistance from the American Red Cross, officials said.
The flames began in the basement of the building, according to fire officials, who said that the conditions were "maze-like," forcing firefighters to weave through the building.
"The conditions that the members that were down in the basement were in were zero visibility, heavy, heavy smoke down to the floor, heat, a lot of heat because it's bottled up," Chicago Fire Department District Chief Dan Cunningham said.
"They did a great job in pushing forward and getting to the seat of this fire," he added.
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The two-alarm fire was brought under control around 5:20 a.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department, and residents were allowed back in their homes just before 6 a.m.
No injuries were reported in the fire, and an investigation into its cause remained ongoing.
