Photo: chicago fire
Eight people were hospitalized after an explosion occurred inside a four-story apartment building in Chicago in the city’s South Austin neighborhood Tuesday morning, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
“This is a confirmed explosion but source of explosion not known,” CFD said in atweet, adding that three victims are in serious-to-critical condition.
Fire officials alsoconfirmedthe adjacent building was evacuated following the explosion.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Right now we feel like we’re confident we got everybody out,” Ferman said, the outlet reported, before adding that the fourth floor was “compromised.”
Speaking toCBS News, Anthonella Wims, one of the victims who was discharged from the hospital Tuesday afternoon, said she was waiting at a bus stop on a street opposite the building at the time of the explosion.
“So everything that blew up, it came to me first,” she told the outlet, adding she initially thought it could be a terrorist attack. “Glass, just everything. Everything on the top building just blew.”
“It just blew up out of nowhere. Everybody’s having a regular, normal morning, and it just blew up,” she continued.
A representative for Peoples Gas, which services the area, says in a statement to PEOPLE that their crews were called Tuesday morning to carry out an inspection on-site “as standard procedure in case emergency responders and investigators need our assistance.”
“The cause of the incident is unknown, but there is no reason at this point to believe the cause is related to gas or any of our equipment,” the statement continues.
Other agencies such as The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chicago Police Bomb Squad were also involved in the investigation, CFD said.
The building’s owner, Roman Viere, said in a statement, perCBS Chicago, “This is a devastating event and we are heartbroken for all of our residents.”
“Our first concern is the health, well-being and safety of our residents,” the statement added. “We are doing everything we can to cooperate with emergency services, and we are ready to do whatever we can to support our residents.”
After learning about the incident, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoottweeted,“My thoughts are with those who were injured and displaced in the building collapse in the Austin neighborhood.”
“We must also thank the brave men and women of the Chicago Fire Department who are working to abate the dangerous conditions,” she wrote.
Property management company Urban Alternatives and Chicago Fire Department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s requests for comment. The case remains under active investigation.
source: people.com
