22 people displaced after fire sparks in a South Side basement

A fire displaced 22 people early Thursday morning in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.

Firefighters responded to an extra alarm fire about 4 a.m. in the 1600 block of West 87th Street, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived they found a “very deep seated basement fire” raging in a commercial and residential building, according to Dan Cunningham, Deputy District Chief of the Chicago Fire Department.

About 99 firefighters from 32 companies came out to fight the fire, Cunningham said.

The fire appears to have started in the basement and extended to the first floor, which is a commercial space. The fire did not extend to the apartment units on the second and third floors, fire officials said.

Firefighters who entered the basement to battle the blaze encountered conditions of zero visibility, heavy smoke and intense heat, Cunningham said.

The fire was under control by about 4:20 a.m. and the Department of Human Services was on the scene helping those displaced, according to Fire Media Affairs.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was unknown and was under investigation, Cunningham said.