Chicago City Wire

State Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) is offering prayers for firefighters and business owners affected by a fire in Chicago's Albany Park which destroyed an apartment building and two businesses.

In the early hours of Monday morning, a fire started in a stairwell between an Albany Park apartment building and a business, according to WGN 9 News. Approximately 150 firefighters battled the fire for several hours. All residents of the apartment building were able to evacuate. Other than one 60-year-old man who was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation, no other injuries were reported. Businesses "Twisted Hippo Brewery" and "The Ultimate Ninja" were destroyed by the fire.

"Praying for the firefighters and business owners affected by the fire in Albany Park, as well as those who lost their homes," Stephens wrote in a Feb. 21 Facebook post.

ABC 7 Chicago News reported that during the fire, "Neighbors heard and saw explosions, which the owner of Twisted Hippo said was likely caused by their carbon dioxide and nitrogen tanks."

Two of Chicago's alderpeople, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) and Carlos Rosa (35th), have called for the man who owns the destroyed apartment building, Gary Carlson, to be held accountable for building violations he had incurred even before the fire happened, according to Block Club Chicago.

Carlson, who owns multiple apartment buildings near Albany Park and Irving Park, has faced criticism for failing to properly maintain his buildings. His buildings have had electrical issues, complaints of garbage and smoking in the stairwell where the fire started, and complaints of drug use.

"...the 35th Ward office and our office have both been on his case for a very long time, at this point getting the city departments together to inspect his buildings and give him an ultimatum on what needs to happen,” Rodriguez-Sanchez said, according to Block Club Chicago. "Because there were so many violations in different buildings the law department took over."

A GoFundMe for The Twisted Hippo has raised more than $118,000.

A second fire broke out in an abandoned building in Albany Park the following morning, according to WGN. One firefighter was injured.