Five people were injured when a fire broke out Saturday halfway up the John Hancock Center, one of Chicago's tallest skyscrapers. The fire has been put out as firefighters conducted floor-by-floor searches to make sure everyone in the building was safe.
Thick smoke and flames were spotted on the 50th floor of a window east-side of the building on Saturday. The fire started at the residential unit while residents on the floor were displaced. The Fire Department said that the fire was an accident, according to the Associated Press.
The John Hancock Building is a 99-floor iconic landmark that houses shops, offices and an observation floor that is rife with tourists. The image of the fire and smoke pouring out of the building reminded people of the 9/11 attack in New York. Out of the five injured due to the fire, two are in good condition whereas the rest are in a stable condition. Mathew Trede, a tourist who was at the bar on the 96th floor, said that he and his friends could clearly smell the smoke and the manager had instructed his group to evacuate using the stairs and not the elevator. Out of fear from the Paris attacks, Trede sent his mother a text saying "I love you," just in case something were to happen.
"With everything going on in the world you never know," he said.
The fire was extinguished by 4 p.m., just 30 minutes after someone had called 911, according to the Examiner.
Video footage of the fire quickly spread across social media, showing that the fire was not a small burst of flames, but was large enough to be shot from the ground as well. The building is also famous for its appearance in the 1988 film "Poltergeist III," apart from its iconic observational facility called "The Tilt," which lets viewers step onto a tilted platform to view the city below. The fire was brought under control by the Chicago Fire Department at approximately 3:15 pm. CFD spokesperson Larry Langford informed the public of the measures the firefighters took to ensure the people's safety inside the building, Inquisitr reported.
