A Chicago firefighter was sent to battle flames at his own home before learning that his 7-year-old son was fatally hurt in the blaze that also sent his wife and younger daughters to the hospital.
When fire crews arrived at the home on 2500 black of North Rutherford Avenue late Tuesday, the on-duty firefighter found his wife and three children suffering from smoke inhalation.
“I was shocked. There was so many firefighters leaving, so many police. It's crazy. It hits so close to home, right across the street,” a neighbor said.
The Chicago Fire Department said that the blaze erupted in the kitchen before it spread to the entire residence.
“We're praying the wife and children get well and recover quickly,” Alderman Gil Villegas said while visiting the burned-out structure.
“They're a blue-collar, working-class family. The family was just your typical Chicago family in the bungalow beltway. They keep to themselves.”
