Ravenswood Burn Victim Rescued From Fire By Neighbors

Two residents of a burning Ravenswood apartment rescued a critically injured neighbor during an early Monday fire.

Nick Salazar, one of the two neighbors who responded to fire alarms and the smell of smoke coming from a first-floor unit in his four-story North Virginia Avenue building, told NBC Chicago that when he reached the critically wounded 45-year-old man inside, he “grabbed him by the wrist and felt something wet,” he said, “It was his skin.”

The victim, believed to be a CTA bus driver, suffered burns to 75 percent of his body and was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, officials said, according to WGN.

Firefighters found the victim about 20 feet from the first-floor North Side apartment where they believe the fire broke out, where Salazar and another neighbor had dragged him to safety, Battalion Chief Thomas Lally told WGN.

Several other residents were treated on the scene for minor breathing problems, Lally said.

Flickr photo by Jay Adan.