LODD – Chicago FD Captain Herbie Johnson Dies After Mayday at South Side Fire

Captain Herbert Johnson (left), 54, a Morgan Park resident and a 33-year veteran of the department is promoted to the rank of Captain by Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago (right), August 10, 2012. (Fire Media Affairs)

Updated with video & links about Captain Johnson’s Death.

Chicago FD Captain Herbert “Herbie” Johnson, 54, and assigned to TL-39 has been identified as the firefighter who died in the South Side Fire today.

A Chicago Firefighter has died in the line of duty today after sustaining injuries in a South Side firefighter. The firefighter, not identified yet, was injured with another firefighter after a MAYDAY was called at the fire. The death was announced on the Chicago FD Twitter page (@CFDMedia): “This is director Larry Langford of the Cfd. It is my sad duty to announce the line of duty death of a Chicago firefighter.”

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Suntimes:

Two firefighters were injured in the South Side house fire, and witnesses say they saw fellow firefighters performing chest compressions on one of the injured before he was rushed away.

I will update once more information is available

Dave Statter has more of the story here

Firefighters work to clean up after a two alarm fire in the 2300 block of West 50th Place on Chicago’s South Side. (Reid Compton/for the Chicago Tribune / November 2, 2012)

Chicago Tribune:

The firefighters may have been trapped in a flashover, in which a building bursts into flame suddenly, Langford said.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 5:15 p.m. for the fire in the Gage Park neighborhood. The building was a frame home, 2-1/2 stories tall and about 25 feet by 40 feet, Ahlheim said.

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