Fire Damages Northwest Side Building

A fire nearly burned the entire roof off a vacant, boarded-up building and left a gaping hole on the top floor early Thursday in the Northwest Side’s Logan Square community. No one was hurt, but neighbors -- who said it was the second fire in the abandoned 2 ½-story building in the last year -- were temporarily displaced. The fire started about 1:15 a.m. in a vacant, boarded-up building at 2431 N. Lawndale Ave., according to a Grand Central District police lieutenant on the scene. Homes at 2433 and 2435 were both evacuated out of fear the fire would spread, which it did not, according to the lieutenant. Nathan Reeves, his wife Jackie Reeves, their 1-year-old baby boy Jasper and bulldog Poncho, who live at 2435 N. Lawndale Ave., were awoken by police and told to get out of their building. “The cops began pounding on the doors. They said, ‘Fire. Get out,’” according to Nathan, who was holding his dog while his wife stood nearby in pajamas holding their son. Nathan said he watched as flames were “billowing out” of the burning home. Fire Chief Loyal Nichols said the fire, which was elevated to a still-and-box alarm, was controlled about 2:35 a.m. At 3:10 a.m., firefighters remained on the scene hosing down “hot spots.” A woman who lives at 2433 N. Lawndale Ave. -- directly next to the fire building -- was also evacuated and had her belongings in a suitcase. Nathan Reeves said it was the second fire that occurred “under suspect circumstances” at the same building in the last year. The first happened around Thanksgiving 2008 during the middle of the night while the home was boarded up. That fire was quickly extinguished. The Reeves family and the woman from 2433 were allowed back inside their homes about 3:10 a.m. Grand Central District Sgt. Michael Saladino said the building that burned was recently purchased for about $80,000.

The fire did not appear to damage neighboring buildings, but it burned nearly the entire roof off the building where the fire started and left a gaping hole on its top level.

Nichols said no one was hurt and he didn’t know how the fire started.

About 60 fire department personnel battled the blaze, including firefighters manning four engines, four trucks, a squad and four emergency workers in two ambulances, Nichols said.

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago was on the scene.

West Fullerton Avenue was closed in both directions at North Monticello Avenue.