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 The women, one in her 70s and another believed to be a young
adult, were taken to hospital while about 100 fire personnel
searched for others, Deputy District Chief Jeff Lyle of the Chicago
Fire Department said.
Fire officials believe there are no more trapped victims but are
continuing their search to make sure, Lyle said.
"We have a three-story residential building that pancaked," Lyle
said. "We're not sure of the cause right now."
Lyle said the call about the building in the Washington Park
neighborhood on the city's Southside came in about 7 p.m. local
time, initially as an explosion at the site.
 Officials do not know if an explosion actually happened or if the
initial caller was hearing the sounds of the building coming down,
he said. The building was of a frame construction and likely more
modern and lightweight than older buildings, Lyle said.
Both victims were rescued about 20 minutes after fire crews arrived
on the scene, and the building was "completely down," according to
the department's official Twitter feed.
The younger woman, who was on the third floor when the building
collapsed, was considered to be in fair-to-serious condition, Lyle
said. The older woman, who was on the second floor, was considered
in serious-to-critical condition initially but was able to talk to
her rescuers, Lyle said.
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A dog named Tigger was also pulled alive from the rubble, Lyle said.
A Chicago police spokesman said officers were assisting on the
scene, but he declined to provide more details.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Peter Cooney
and Paul Tait)
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