Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones has declared a citywide state of emergency after a devastating fire ripped through a condo building this week and left 150 families displaced.
The fire broke out around 7 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the 312-unit condo complex at 200 Park Ave. in Calumet City, in the Park of River Oaks Condo Association. Winds drove the flames all the way to the seventh floor.
The blaze left 150 families homeless, according to Jaclyn Saucier, president of the Park of River Oaks Condo Association.
An 85-year-old woman identified as Wilhelmina Williamson died in the fire. She lived on the seventh floor and was killed as the wind shot flames upward.
Mayor Jones’ office said seven others were injured in the fire, including three firefighters.
Mayor Jones pulled together his administrative team and several Calumet City aldermen at the stie of the fire as soon as the fire department had been called. They created safeguards for residents – including contacting the American Red Cross, and also businesses that were in a position to supply food and area hotels that could provide temporary shelter.
On Tuesday, the mayor called an emergency meeting of the Calumet City Council, which approved a state of emergency on account of the devastation of the fire.
The local state of emergency will allow Mayor Jones to access resources from other government agencies to help the nearly 200 residents who were left homeless, Jones’ office said.
The Mayor’s office also noted that some residents displaced by the fire took it upon themselves to find lodging – but in areas in which the mayor does not think they are safe. Mayor Jones’ team has located those residents and is moving them to hotels with a safer environment.
