CHICAGO — Fires are more likely to erupt in cold weather, but during record-setting temps Tuesday the city saw four fires, two of which left people injured, fire officials said.
"It’s kind of rare in hot weather," said Juan Hernandez, fire department spokesman. "A lot of fires occur when it's cold outside."
Fires are more likely to occur in the winter because of the use of space heaters. The cause of the blazes Tuesday were unknown and still under investigation, Hernandez said Tuesday evening.
Everyone inside a 2½-story building in the 7900 block of South Escanaba Avenue in South Chicago escaped a fire about 6:30 p.m. The fire was put out shortly after, fire officials said.
In West Garfield Park, a man was injured when he jumped from the second story to escape a home fire. Another family was displaced by the damage. The building in the 4000 block of West Carroll Avenue caught fire about 3:15 p.m. The fire was put out about 35 minutes later, fire officials said.
In Wrigleyville, a firefighter was hospitalized for dehydration and heat exhaustion while battling a blaze in the 3600 block of North Wayne Avenue sometime before 12:45 p.m., authorities said.
A 1½-story building in the 8200 block of South Harper Avenue in Avalon Park caught fire about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday. No one was injured, fire officials said.