Silke Jasso
CHICAGO — Thick, black smoke filled the air in the South end of the Loop Saturday as a fire quickly engulfed a parking garage on Adams and State Street.
Videos by Rare
As sirens blared, Chicagoans could see a number of police, fire and other emergency vehicles swarming the surrounding area as streets were blocked off. The fire, which began at 12:40 p.m., charred the side of the 12-story garage until it was put out around 1:30 p.m., according to the Fire Department.
Pedestrians were seen crowding the area, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on, when fire commanders called for an emergency medical services plan, bringing five ambulances to the scene. At least two gurneys were wheeled into the building, but no injuries have been reported.
“From what I heard there was a fire in the parking garage,” Terrance, a United States Postal Services employee and witness to the scene, told Rare Chicago. “So when I seen all the fire engines and stuff racing this way I was like ‘well ok, what’s going on down there, we don’t usually have this many firetrucks coming on a Saturday afternoon.’”
City streets were even more populated, not only because of the fire, but also because of the Blues Fest and Vegan Fest which also drew a large crowd. With the confusion and rerouting, city streets were dense with curious bystanders and misplaced travelers trying to find their way back from the detour.
It is believed that more than a dozen cars were burned in the fire, six of which were destroyed completely, according to Fire Officials.
