Chicago firefighter worst tragedy in more than a decade, killed two firefighters in the morning when the roof of an abandoned building with a history of code violations made at the top of them.
Edward Stringer, a veteran of 12 years, and Corey Ankum, a former policeman who had joined the fire department just over a year, were fighting a fire inside the houseSing Way Laundry in the 1744 E. 75th Street, when the roof collapsed and trapped two firefighters and others.
Fifteen firefighters were injured in the 7 am blaze, which broke the 100 th anniversary of the fire of the Union Corrales 1910, the greatest loss of firefighters in the U.S. big city until the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The roof collapsed "without warning", as Stringer and Ankum searched the smoke-filled building in vagrants, Fire Commissioner, said Robert Hoff.
Hoff - a third generation firefighter whose father died in a building collapse - was one of nearly 100 firefighters who responded to a distress call from the trapped men and furiously dug through the rubble in a desperate effort to rescue them.
Still covered with soot from the scene, later refused to guess the decision to enter an apartment building, said the firefighters followed proper procedure and were doing their job to check vagrants who may have fled there
"We are not building as vacant," he said, as firefighters from the city of mourning. "We do care, but enter and search for people who have tried out the cold."
The clothes had been abandoned for at least six years, had a "dropped ceiling" and a permanent problem with squatters who could have started the fire to keep warm, according to Robert Smart, who owns a car wash next door .
The owner of the Laundromat, Chuck Dai, was sued by the city for at least three times since 1987. The building was in foreclosure and was cited for 14 code violations in 2007, including events that signal the failure of Dai "keep the roof in good condition and repair" and maintain "the building ... in a structurally safe condition and stable, "the documents show.
Dai, who did not return messages seeking comment on Wednesday, could now be sued or fined for not complying with the terms of a consent decree signed last year that forced him to sell the property or fix the problems last month according to the city Building Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey.
For Stringer and colleagues worried Ankum, these are questions for another day.
Dozens of firefighters fought back tears as lined out in the emergency room of Christ Medical Center to salute as the body of Ankum, 34, was held to be taken to the morgue. An almost identical scene plays in the coroner's office in Cook County, after the remains of Stringer, 47, were brought from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in a convoy of police and fire department worthy.
"We're all devastated,''said a commander of the fire district, which left the medical examiner's office with a flag of Chicago that had been used to cover the remains of the two firefighters and a red plastic bag full of clothes Stringer.
Both Ankum, who worked at the fire station in Chicago 79 and South, and Stringer, who worked at the firehouse on 63rd and Dorchester, were remembered for their courage, generosity and humor. Both men died of blunt trauma of fallen timber and debris, authorities said.
"The brotherhood and camaraderie shared by these firefighters is incredible," said Maurice Matthews, whose brother, Firefighter Steven Ellerson, was injured trying to save Ankum.
Ellerson was inside the building when the roof collapsed, said Matthews. Ankum heard cries for help, I was struggling to breathe and "took off his mask to give a little oxygen," said Matthews.
But Ankum was trapped and could not be released, and Ellerson, whose vision was damaged in the test, was retired by his fellow firefighters.
"He almost died trying to save his companion," Matthews said, sobbing. "He is distraught that he could not save him."
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