Four apartment buildings caught fire in the 1200 block of West 52nd Street just before 5 a.m.
No injuries were reported. But eight adults and four children have been displaced.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A still-and-box alarm was initially called for the fire around 4:50 a.m., but it was quickly upgraded to a 2-11 fire, which calls out a total of eight engines, four trucks, two tower ladders, and several other emergency vehicles.
The alarm was struck out at 5:33 a.m., according to Fire Media Affairs.
Racine Avenue from 51st Street to Garfield Boulevard, and 52nd Street from Loomis Boulevard to May Street were closed Friday morning as crews respond, according to Fire Media Affairs.
The blaze heavily damaged two buildings and did minor damage to two others, according to dispatch reports. The flames also damaged a car and downed wires.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
