Evacuated!

The fire broke out just before 3 p.m. in the basement of the building at 630 S. Wabash Ave. The response rose through several alarms and was upgraded to a 4-11 alarm fire around 4:45 p.m. and then to a 5-11, the highest level for the department, around 5:15 p.m. Our building, 623 S. Wabash and seen in the photo, is directly across the street. We were finally told to leave the building around 5. The HVAC systems were turned off due to smoke coming into the building through them.