CHICAGO — A Chicago firefighter has died and two others were injured in a fire on the city's South Side, NBC Chicago reported.
The fire broke out in the West Pullman neighborhood around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday and spread across three buildings. Firefighter Jermaine Pelt was manning a hose in one of the buildings when authorities said: "conditions worsened."
NBC Chicago reported all firefighters were ordered out of the building but Pelt "went down" just as that order was being issued. Authorities found him quickly and performed life-saving efforts all the way to the hospital.
"Despite our best efforts - our firefighters and paramedics, they worked feverishly on Jermaine doing CPR all the way from the scene to Christ Hospital - he passed away," Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt told NBC Chicago.
Pelt's death is now under investigation.
NBC Chicago reported he had two children, one of whom just got married. He had been with the department since 2005.
"This is a huge loss to us as a family," Nance-Holt said. "Jermaine is our family. And when we lose one of our members, it takes a toll on us. People just don't know what firefighters and paramedics go through daily when they respond to these calls, not knowing if they'll come home the next and this is what we saw today."
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