Woman, 4 police officers injured in Berwyn apartment fire

BERWYN, Ill. (WLS) -- Four police officers and a female resident were injured after fire swept through an apartment building in west suburban Berwyn.

The blaze broke out just before 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 3200-block of Maple Avenue. Emergency crews arrived to flames spreading from a second-floor unit to surrounding apartments.

Neighbors said the woman who lives in the apartment where fire officials said the blaze started is in her early 30s and has lived there for a few years.

"Something woke me up. I heard windows shattering or something. I told my husband to look out - sounds like someone's breaking into cars. That's when he screamed fire and said, 'Call 911,' and he ran out," said Rita Nelson, who lives on the third floor. "They carried her out. I saw her at a distance. My husband said she had smoke all over her, and she was crying hysterically."

The victim suffered burns and was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center, according to Berwyn Fire Chief Dennis O'Halloran. There is no word yet on her condition.

Four officers were also taken to hospitals with minor injuries. They were the first on the scene and suffered smoke inhalation trying to evacuate the building. They are all expected to be OK.

Firefighters were able to put out the flames without too much trouble, despite the frigid cold.

"Our water system was good. No frozen fire hydrants. However, the challenges of the ice and the cold weather certainly challenges us to do our job. Our guys did a fine job. We escalated this alarm because of the cold weather to a box alarm (and) brought in many surrounding departments to assist to extinguish this fire," O'Halloran said.

Several units on the second and third floor were significantly damaged in the fire. Several people have been displaced. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.