Chicago police officers raced up three floors of a smoky West Side building Monday night, banging on doors to warn residents and bringing four people to safety.
Officers Joe Deferville and William Morales had been conducting a traffic stop about 7:50 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Division Street in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood when a man pulled up and pointed out smoke pouring from a nearby three-story building.
The officers drove over and ran inside, Deferville said. Four other officers joined them moments later.
The officers pounded on apartment doors, alerting residents on the first and second floors who had not yet been aware of fire.
On the third floor, the officers found a woman gathering clothing to bring outside, even as she and her 5-year-old daughter were coughing from the thickening smoke. Deferville told the mother to hurry, and he carried her daughter out of the building.
Two other officers helped a visually impaired man down from the other third-floor unit. Officers also escorted a fourth resident needing assistance, police said.
Outside, the teary 5-year-old became concerned as she waited for her mother to appear. Deferville said he tried to entertain her with the lights on his squad car, and after about a minute, her mother emerged unharmed.
By the time firefighters arrived, all residents had left the building, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The fire caused no injuries but displaced six people, he said.
The smoke was so thick it was impossible to see across the street, Deferville said. The officer, a 10-year-veteran of the department, said the fire's quick spread offered an important lesson.
"When something like this happens, please leave your personal belongings, take your loved ones and leave the building as soon as possible," Deferville said. "Everything else can be replaced."
asege@tribune.com
Twitter: @AdamSege
Police rescue four from West Side fire
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Police rescue four from West Side fire
