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A distinguished 30-year career came to a tragic end as Captain David Meyer of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) died battling a blaze in the Austin neighborhood.
Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt told reporters at Stroger Hospital details of the incident which left the 30-year veteran dead.
According to preliminary CFD information, Meyer was struck by a roofing beam as he battled a garage fire 5500 block of West Crystal Street when the structure collapsed.
Meyer responded to a call of a garage fire at approximately 4am and was in the process of battling the fire when an apparent roofing beam most likely fell and struck him.
A mayday, signaling a firefighter in distress, was called and Meyer was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Nance-Holt said.
Larry Langford, fire department spokesman, posted on X: “It’s a sad day for CFD and Chicago.”
“It had to be a roofing beam, there’s nothing there except a few cross beams in the roof, so something got him from above,” Langford said.
Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 said Meyer, 54, joined the department in October 1996.
