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Article: Blasts jolt Drake Hotel; 5 injured // 4 firefighters overcome by smoky blaze
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- August 29, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Five people were injured and 900 people evacuated from the Drake
Hotel and a neighboring residential building Monday night after
explosions and fire in a large Commonwealth Edison transformer vault
sent thick smoke billowing through the posh hotel at 140 E. Walton.
"It was a series of explosions. I ran out and saw fire shooting
out of the grates in the sidewalk outside the Drake," said Louie
Zankl, operations engineer at the 900 N. Michigan Building across the
street from the hotel. "There was smoke billowing into the hotel."
Some 550 guests and 250 employees were ordered out of the Drake
Hotel and 100 people from the Drake Tower Apartments, 179 E. Lake
Shore Dr. They were allowed to ...