Chicago firefighter dies after house fire response

Firefighter Jermaine Pelt, 49, was working a hose line when conditions worsened and all firefighters were ordered out of the home, Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.

“It appears that firefighter Pelt went down as crews were being ordered out of the building. A mayday was called and he was quickly found near the hose line and brought out for treatment,” Nance-Holt said, shedding tears as she noted that she had known Pelt personally.

He later died at a hospital, she said.

Two other firefighters were also taken to the hospital in stable condition, and Nance-Holt said both of them are fine.

The fire is believed to have started in the attic of a 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-TV reported.

The circumstances of Pelt’s death remain under investigation, Nance-Holt said, adding that “there was no explosion and Pelt was not trapped inside the building” in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating Pelt’s death, she said.

Pelt had served with Chicago Fire Department since 2005, Nance-Holt said. He is survived by two children, a 6-year-old and an adult daughter he recently walked down the aisle for her wedding. Nance-Holt said Pelt’s daughter was informed of her father’s death while on her honeymoon.