Huge Avondale Fire Leaves Families Displaced, 2 Firefighters Injured
One student watched from a nearby school as her family’s apartment burned, witnesses say.
AVONDALE— At least three Avondale-Logandale Elementary students and their parents were displaced and two firefighters were injured in a devastating extra-alarm house fire in Avondale Thursday morning.
The fire started around 10:30 a.m. Thursday in an apartment building in the 2900 block of North Kedzie Avenue, directly across from Avondale-Logandale Elementary School and near the Logan Square/Avondale border, according to WGN. It spread from one apartment building to at least two other neighboring buildings, quickly escalating to extra-alarm status.
Two firefighters were injured in the blaze and taken to local hospitals, according to fire officials. Their condition was not immediately provided.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and secured the scene around 12:30 p.m., according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesman. It is unclear what caused the fire, as fire officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Maria Raigoza, who teaches language arts and social studies at Avondale-Logandale Elementary, said three students and their parents were displaced in the fire. She said one of the students, Melanie, was watching the blaze from a classroom.
Raigoza launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for Melanie’s family with a goal of $2,000.
“My student is graduating on the 15th. Her mom was here and she’s stunned,” Raigoza wrote in a text message. “Tomorrow is our luncheon and we are trying to gather funds to help her and her two siblings in middle school. It’s a sad day.”
Meanwhile, as firefighters were battling the blaze, Chicago Police were investigating a car accident that happened next to Bric a Brac in the 2800 block of North Kedzie Avenue. According to an officer on the scene who declined to be named, three elderly women were driving drunk when they hit a bus sign before plowing into a pole next to the record shop.
A Chicago Police spokeswoman couldn’t immediately confirm that account. She said the accident happened around 9:10 a.m., included two cars, with one of them hitting a pole.
