Teen girl critically injured in Southwest Side house fire, CFD officials say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A teenage girl was in critical condition at Comer Children's Hospital after she was rescued from a house fire Friday morning on the Chicago's Southwest Side, officials said.

The fire chief says this was a close call, given that the smoke detectors at the home were not working.

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Cell phone video showed heavy dark smoke billowing out of a home near West 71st Street and South Hoyne Avenue, where firefighters say they arrived right before 11:30 a.m. One person had to be rescued.

"In the process of the primary search of the residence they did find a 13-year-old girl female in which they removed that female from the structure," said Gary Brooks, CFD Deputy Chief of the 5th District.

Firsts responders performed CPR on her as firefighters battled the blaze.

"I walked up and saw a lady laying down on the snow, and she couldn't breathe," witness Andrew Davis said.

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"She looked like she was in rough shape... 12 to 13 year old... we see her around, so it was tough to see," neighbor Arnold Hernandez said.

The home was left gutted, with most of the damage to the front of the building.

The Chicago Fire Department says there were smoke detectors inside the home, but they were not working during the time of the fire. Thankfully, firefighters got there just in time.

"When you have smoke detectors but they don't work," Deputy District Chief Brooks said. "There is not enough time to alert the individual inside the home, so it has a little bit of time to build up heat and energy. It grows and gets very intense."

Neighbors say they also jumped in to help and took in the family's dog who was scared and ran out during the fire.

"We have the dog with us," Hernandez said. "He's not burned up, but you could see residue smoke on his paws. So we have him in our care now."

The fire is believed to have been caused by an unattended candle, the Chicago Fire Department said.