Some tenants moving back into Kenwood high-rise 2 years after deadly fire, but concerns linger​on February 5, 2025 at 4:29 am

CHICAGO (WLS) — Hundreds of residents in a Kenwood high-rise are still waiting to move back in after being displaced by a deadly fire.

It has been two years, and tenants say they have received little help and no answers.

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Harper Square residents said some people have moved three to five times since being displaced, and they all say they just want to go home.

“It is cheaper to keep you alive than allow you to die in one of these buildings,” said Rev. Robin Hood with Morning Star.

More than two years of frustrations have mounted for hundreds of residents who were forced to leave their homes after a fire took one woman’s life.

“We suffered a lot of anguish, you know, physically and mentally, and many of our friends are still displaced,” said resident Rita Harris.

Tenants like Ken and Rita Harris say they have lived in Harper Square for more than 40 years. While they are frustrated that they cannot go home yet, as their apartment is being remodeled, they say they were the lucky ones.

“As we were getting out of the building, instructions came over the loudspeaker, the fire safety to stay in your units, but I was not going to abide by that,” Ken Harris said.

Building management said they have slowly been moving tenants who live on the first 14 floors back in. They say they hope to get city approval for the next batch of floors next week, but there are still concerns.

“We have 600+ high-rises in Chicago that are un-sprinkled or not fully sprinkled,” said Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board Executive Director Erik Hoffer.

Harper Square apartments in Kenwood is one of the high-rises built before 1975. Because of that, Hoffer says, there is currently no mandate to require fire sprinklers in the building.

“We have to decide that this is not going to happen again. We are not going to lose more people,” Hoffer said.

ABC7 asked building management if fire sprinklers were installed or would be installed and was told that the building was up to code.

“If we had fire extinguishers or fire sprinklers in those buildings, it would have stopped it at that first unit – 140 units of residents; two years of anxiety,” Ken Harris said.

With no certain date set to move back in, the Harris family continues to demand answers.

“We’re about to enter a big fight,” Hood said.