New report reveals what may have led to firefighter's death in 2021 fire call

A new report is detailing what may have led to the death of an Illinois firefighter who was responding to an apartment fire call in 2021. 

The fire happened after 2 a.m., Dec. 16, 2021, in Northeast Ill. and was located in the apartment's basement, according to IL OSHA.

The firefighter, a 30-year-old man, was alone on the first floor of the building when he had a malfunction occur to his oxygen supply. 

He called for a mayday, or "firefighter in distress," but was found unresponsive and out of air. Five days later, he died from his injuries at the hospital, IL OSHA says. 

Ultimately, the direct cause of the firefighter's death was exposure to respiratory hazards, IL OSHA said in the report. The firefighter's oxygen supply was completely depleted.

"According to the coroner’s report, death was attributed to complications of carbon monoxide toxicity and thermal injuries due to inhalation of smoke and soot," IL OSHA said. 

There were a few other contributing factors as well that may have led to the firefighter's death. These are shared below, via IL OSHA:

• The fire team did not enter the home together or stay together.
• No other members on scene had communication with the firefighter when he suffered the emergency.
• There was a delay between the firefighter in distress and the incident commander.

IL OSHA recommends that interior fire teams enter a structure together and leave as a team. 

Also, before entering, firefighters should check their radios to "establish communication with a member outside the hazard zone," IL OSHA says in the report. 

The firefighter's equipment was also examined after the incident by IL OSHA. They say at first, it was performing normally until it began rapidly losing breathing air pressure during the response. 

"It is likely that this rapid loss is related to the damaged low-pressure hose," IL OSHA says. 

Images in the report showed tears in two places on the hose. IL OSHA says they could not determine what caused the tears, but that they likely resulted in the loss of air. 

 To see the full report, follow this link.