West Town High-Rise Fire Kills One, Injures Another

A fire broke out around 8:45 a.m. Thursday in a high-rise at the 1100 block of West Erie Street in Chicago’s West Town and was confined to a single fourth-floor apartment. Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze using hand pumps after it was reported, and more than 100 personnel responded, according to CFD spokesman Larry Merritt. Crews found an 85-year-old woman with fire-related injuries who was pronounced dead at the scene; her identity has not been released and an autopsy is scheduled. A second woman suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to Stroger Hospital and is not believed to be in life-threatening condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and Chicago police had not immediately commented; officials reported no further impacts to other residents.