A Chicago firefighter died Tuesday after he and two other firefighters were injured while fighting a house fire on the city's South Side before dawn, authorities said.
Firefighter Jermaine Pelt, 49, had served with the Chicago Fire Department since 2005, Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.
He is survived by two children, a 6-year-old girl and an adult daughter who recently walked down the aisle for her wedding. Pelt's daughter was informed of the death of her father during their honeymoon, the commissioner said.
Pelt was working on a hose when conditions worsened and all firefighters were told to get out, Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said. The circumstances of Pelt's death remain under investigation and she said "there was no explosion and Pelt was not trapped inside the building."
“It appears that Firefighter Pelt fell when crews were ordered out of the building. He called 911 and he was quickly found near the hose and taken away for treatment,” Nance-Holt said, shedding tears as she noted that she had known Pelt personally.
She said emergency crews "worked feverishly" to give Pelt CPR as he was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating Pelt's death, he said.
Two other firefighters were also taken to the hospital in stable condition, and Nance-Holt said both are doing well.
The fire is believed to have started in the attic of one home and spread to two adjacent homes sometime before 3:30 a.m. The building where the fire started appeared to have a partial roof collapse, WLS reported – tv.
