8 hospitalized after explosion inside Chicago apartment building

Eight people were hospitalized on Tuesday morning after a sudden explosion shook a residential apartment building in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood and showered the street with bricks and other debris. 

At least three of the people transferred from the scene to local hospitals had serious or critical injuries, officials said. Two of the victims are female, while the other six are male, according to the fire department. One victim was in a building across the street from the explosion when it happened, Deputy Fire Commissioner Marc Ferman said during a press conference.

Fire officials originally confirmed the explosion in a tweet around 9:45 a.m. local time. At the time, they noted that the four-story residential building and adjacent building were being evacuated. Ten ambulances and 135 first responders were called to the scene, Ferman said.