Flames raced through a three-story Logan Square home as a family scrambled to get out.
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Wayne Thompson said his smoke detector started going off and the smell led him to the door of his enclosed second floor porch.
Flames force Chicago firefighters off Logan Square rooftop
Flames force Chicago firefighters off Logan Square rooftop
"I open the back door and it just it was just blazing," Thompson said. "I hit the ground and I tried to kick the door closed but I couldn't get it I couldn't get it ."
Chicago fire officials said the call for the fire at 2244 North Washtenaw Avenue came in at about 6:20 a.m.
"The first company was on scene within three minutes," CFD Deputy District Chief Robert Jurewicz said. "They had heavy fire in the rear. They started an aggressive attack. At 6:29, Battalion 17 called a still and box which brought in several more companies."
Firefighters battle intense flames on Logan Square rooftop
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Firefighters battle extra-alarm fire from Logan Square rooftops
About 125 firefighters were on the scene until it was under control.
Wayne Thompson's mother, Kim Anderson, embraced her son when she arrived at the scene, relieved to see him uninjured.
"I'm blessed," Anderson said. "My son Is alive, my daughter is alive. I've gotta find where they took my uncle to. Gosh look at the house. The house can be replaced. You're still here. You're still here and that's all I care about right now."
Thompson, his wife and his dog made it out of the burning home just in time. His 69-year-old great uncle did, too but was taken to a hospital and is listed in good condition.
The home has been in the family for 30 years.
"I mean, it's home," Thompson said. "This is the house I grew up in. I've been living there for two weeks with my wife and looking at things we want to do with the house and what not and now I have no windows."
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All has been lost, but the most important things remain.
"But I just know I look at you and you're still here and I'm so happy because the house can be replaced they can be replaced. you can't," Anderson said. "My baby."
CFD provides update on extra-alarm Logan Square fire
CFD provides update on extra-alarm Logan Square fire
Three other homes caught fire, but they were not gutted. Seven people have been replaced.
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is under investigation.