A deadly fire ripped through a three-story Portage Park apartment building Saturday, killing one and displacing dozens. Although investigators were at the scene throughout much of the day, the cause of the fire has not been determined.
Around 9 a.m., thick black smoke spread throughout the apartment building and so did calls to get out fast.
Seth McKonly escaped with a cut on his head that needed stitches.
“People were banging on the door, saying ‘hey, there’s a fire in the building,” McKonly said.
Firefighters tried for hours to knock down smoke and flames while a block away in a Red Cross warming van, shaken residents gathered for comfort.
Jazmin Guzman was making breakfast for her boyfriend and six-year-old daughter when she heard screams.