CHICAGO — At least eight people were injured when a four-story building partially collapsed due to an explosion on the city’s West Side Tuesday morning, according to authorities.
The collapse occurred around 9 a.m. at a multiunit apartment building at 5601 W. West End Avenue in the city’s Austin neighborhood. The building next door was evacuated, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Level 1 Hazmat was sent to the scene, as was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chicago Police Department bomb unit.
The rush hour morning explosion destroyed nearly every window in the building and showered the street below with bricks and dust, destroying at least a couple of parked cars. Immediately afterward, Chicago Public Schools instituted “soft” school lockdowns in place at several nearby schools, including Austin College and Career Academy High School, Catalyst Elementary Charter School - Circle Rock, Edward K Ellington Elementary School and KIPP Academy Chicago, according to CPS.
