Six Killed in Fire at Chicago Government Building
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2003 10:21 am
CHICAGO — Government workers trapped in a burning downtown office tower frantically dialed 911 as they tried to make their way through smoke-filled staircases and hallways, officials said. Hours later, 13 were found unconscious amid the smoke, six of them dead.
The bodies weren't discovered until after the fire was brought under control Friday evening and firefighters started searching the 35-story Cook County administration building floor by floor, authorities said.
Eight people remained hospitalized early Saturday, some in serious or critical condition.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire, but workers on the 12th floor, housing secretary of state offices, said they first saw smoke coming from a storage room about 5 p.m.
The structure was known as the Brunswick Building when it was built in 1965. The county bought it in 1996 for nearly $40 million.
The bodies weren't discovered until after the fire was brought under control Friday evening and firefighters started searching the 35-story Cook County administration building floor by floor, authorities said.
Eight people remained hospitalized early Saturday, some in serious or critical condition.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire, but workers on the 12th floor, housing secretary of state offices, said they first saw smoke coming from a storage room about 5 p.m.
The structure was known as the Brunswick Building when it was built in 1965. The county bought it in 1996 for nearly $40 million.