Family displaced after Back of the Yards house fire

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Several homes caught fire in the Back of the Yards neighborhood Monday morning, displacing a family.

The Chicago Fire Department was called to the scene in the 5300-block of South Wood Street at about 2:18 a.m., fire officials said. When they arrived at the scene, they were dealing with massive flames and smoke from a vacant house , which had spread to neighboring houses..

Firefighters escalated the call for more help because one of the hydrants they were using wasn't working properly. They had about two minutes worth of water to bat down the flames on the truck before they were able to get to a nearby fire hydrant.

But the fire has left one family without a home.

"My aunt, she was the one to wake up and she got everybody out of the house," said Jonathan Gelacio.

A wife and mother of two kids, 14 and 4 years old, responded quickly, saving her family as the heat pressed on in their home.

"She said that she felt like the house was moving and stuff and when she looked through the windows she sees the flames and just got up and get the kids and the husband and everybody out," said Gelacio said..

Credit also going to Jason, their dog, who wouldn't stop barking as the flames came nearer.

The American Red Cross is on scene to help the five people get back on their feet. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

"They feel really bad because they don't know what's going to happen next? Like where are they going to live for the next couple of months while they get everything fixed," Gelacio said.

The owner of the vacant building on the ground surveyed the damage and said he was getting ready to rehab the abandoned property and that people continually break in to use drugs there.