Fallen Chicago fire captain honored as arson investigation unfolds

Fallen Chicago fire captain honored as arson investigation unfolds

The body of a veteran Chicago fire captain was transported from the Cook County morgue to Malec & Sons Funeral Home on the Northwest Side today.

CHICAGO - The body of a veteran Chicago fire captain was transported from the Cook County morgue to Malec & Sons Funeral Home on the Northwest Side today.

Investigators said someone set the fire Wednesday that led to the death of Capt. David Meyer. The evidence shows it started in a trash bin and spread.

At Public Safety headquarters, city workers were in mourning. There is bunting over the front door, the flags are at half-staff.

Meyer, 54, joined the Chicago Fire Department in 1996 and worked his way up to captain in busy firehouses on the West Side.

Courtesy of the Chicago Fire Department

He and his crew responded to the fire in a brick garage in the Austin neighborhood early Wednesday morning. After they had put out the blaze, the structure collapsed Meyer.

A mayday call went out and Meyer died at Stroger Hospital.

What they're saying:

Fellow firefighters and first responders were shaken at the reminder that their jobs are dangerous every day.

"When you lose a brother or a sister in the fire department, it is life-changing. It's a family member. It's not just a coworker because we stay together 24 hours a day. So, pray for them," Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said 

"The brave women and men who serve this city every day, who put their lives on the line for us, we do not take that for granted," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Meyer leaves a wife and four children, his parents and his Chicago firefighter family. 

What's next:

ATF and fire investigators turned over their evidence to Chicago police for what they said was a criminal investigation. A person of interest is currently in custody.