Chicago firefighter hurt while battling house fire

CHICAGO (Fox 32 News) - A Chicago firefighter was injured battling a house fire that also displaced three families. It happened around 10p.m. Saturday night in the 5000 block of South Komensky Avenue. 

Fire officials said it appears the blaze started near the deck of the Archer Heights home, where the family had been cooking and smoking cigarettes. 

The flames spread to a neighboring house that is home to two other families. 

A relative told FOX 32 no one was injured besides the firefighter, who was treated and released for a shoulder injury. 

“It was the most horrible experience I don’t know what was going,” said Maria Balling-Tellez.  “It is better to deal with the process than to be dealing with a funeral or anything everybody got out okay.”

Her sister, brother-in-law and their two kids live in the home that caught fire. They spent the Easter holiday digging through the rubble for salvageable belongings. 

The Red Cross assisted the families with temporary housing. 

The fire may have started from a barbeque or a cigarette, but officials are still investigating.