Firefighters battling apartment building fire in Justice: 'I've lost everything'

JUSTICE, Ill. (WLS) — Firefighters are working to put out a fire at an apartment building Saturday in the southwest suburbs.

The fire broke out in the 8500 block of South 88th Terrace in Justice.

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There was a massive response as crews were still trying to contain the fire as of 4 p.m. Saturday.

The fire heavily damaged an apartment complex, and ABC7 was told at least 16 units have been destroyed and the roof caved in.

People living in the building tell ABC7 the fire started shortly after 9 a.m., with crews still battling the fire at least eight hours later.

ABC7 was told no injuries have been reported as residents managed to evacuate safely.

The fire department said it appears the fire started on the third floor of the building.

ABC7 saw neighboring fire departments from Brookfield, Bridgeview and many other areas come to the scene to try and help out.

“It’s very cold out here,” resident Jaclyn Jackson said. “I have a lot of things in my apartment, and I’ve lost everything. I’ve lost everything.”

Residents stood outside, feeling helpless as they watched their homes and all of their belongings get destroyed by the massive fire.

“I come back in the front room, and it’s just foggy, smoky everywhere, and I had to grab my dog, so they evacuated me outside,” resident Keshawn Hollis said.

The work continued Saturday evening for fire crews as they made significant progress with the smoke going down considerably.

Residents said they were worried about a fire happening as they claimed the building has had some electrical issues recently, but the cause of the fire is still being investigated.