Legal News for Illinois Personal Injury Attorneys. Homewood village, Illinois recognized the first firefighter fatality in the history of the Homewood Fire Department.
Illinois personal injury attorney alerts- Firefighter suffered fatal injuries in Cook County house blaze.
Cook County, IL—A firefighter and an elderly man were fatally injured in a residential blaze on Tuesday night, March 30, 2010. The house fire occurred in Homewood, Illinois, according to information provided by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Homewood Police Department officials reported a blaze broke out in a home, located at 17622 Lincoln Avenue at approximately 9 p.m. Fire rescue personnel from the Homewood Fire Department were dispatched to the scene to rescue an elderly couple and battle the inferno. The homeowner, identified as 84-year-old Wendell Elias, was pulled from the burning home but sadly died at the scene. He was in a wheelchair at the time. His wife, whose name was not released, was transported to an area hospital after the blaze. The extent of her injuries were undisclosed.
Firefighter Brian Carrey responded to the scene to help in rescuing the residents and combating the blaze. However, he suffered severe injuries and had to be transported to Advocate South Suburban Hospital. He reportedly succumbed to his injuries at 10:03 p.m., making him the first Homewood firefighter to suffer fatal injuries in the line of duty. Another firefighter at the scene, 21-year-old Karra Kopas, suffered first and second degree burns and was subsequently taken to University of Chicago Medical Center to be treated by doctors and nurses.
Fire officials are expected to probe the deadly blaze and are reportedly looking into whether an oxygen tank explosion, prompted by the flames, caused the firefighters to suffer severe burns.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Illinois Personal Injury Lawyers.
