No Injuries Reported in Michigan Avenue Fire

Fire was reported shortly after 6 p.m. at the Michigan Boulevard Building

No injuries have been reported in a Friday evening fire that had crews racing to a high-rise on Chicago's Michigan Avenue.

The fire was reported shortly after 6 p.m. at the Michigan Boulevard Building, at 30 N. Michigan Ave., across from Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center. Crews had it out by 7 p.m., officials said.

Several blocks were shut down as dozens of firefighters headed up to the 5th floor.

"We were very surprised, we were like what the hell is going on?" said resident Bettina Stoetzer, who headed down 15 flights of stairs as firefighters went up.

Deputy Chief Tony Van Buskirk said the fire started on the fifth floor, and said it was smoke rescue crews were most concerned about.

"Whenever we could though, rather than have people walk down multiple flights of stairs we had plenty of elevators," Van Buskirk said. "We actually dispatched elevators with fire fighters on them. A number of people did stay in their residences or places of business."

That's the right thing to do in a high rise, said Van Buskirk. And it was a good night for the Chicago Fire Department, as rescuers exited the building with nothing more than equipment on their stretchers.

Construction on the 15-story building began in 1913 and was completed a year later, according to the Chicago Architecture Info website. Another six stories were added during a renovation several years later.

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