CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Investigators have ruled Wednesday’s Gold Coast high-rise fire that killed Chicago Fire Lieutenant Jan Tchoryk to be accidental.
Chicago fire spokesman Larry Langford said the CFD Office of Fire Investigation found that the fire “started from combustibles being too close to a heat generating appliance.” He said a towel was left too close to an electric space heater.
Authorities said firefighters were called to an apartment building on inner Lakeshore Drive and Division at around 7:15 a.m Wednesday. The fire originated on the 27th floor in a large apartment unit and quickly escalated to a two-alarm fire, Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt noted.
Tohoryk, 55, was making his way up to the fire when he “went down,” on the 11th floor. He was climbing the stairs because elevator service was cut off, according to Holt.
It marked the second straight day that a Chicago firefighter had died while battling a fire, an unprecedented occurrence, the fire commissioner said.
Firefighter Jermaine Pelt died Tuesday morning while battling a house fire in West Pullman. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, Pelt died from carbon monoxide toxicity due to inhaling smoke and soot.
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The autopsy of Tchoryk is still pending.
The Chicago Department of Buildings issued a statement offering condolences to the family and loved ones of both Tchoryk and Pelt.
“The Department of Buildings (DOB) takes public safety and quality of life issues very seriously. DOB will cooperate with CFD and other agencies that are investigating the cause of the tragic fires at 1212 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. and 12017 S. Wallace St,” the department said.
DOB did note that the apartment building on 1212 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive was cited for several building code violations in recent years. In November 2021, the building had a violation related to its mechanical air conditioning. It was corrected a month later, DOB said.
The building, built in 1970, does not have a sprinkler system, according to the DOB. High-rises constructed before 1975, per city code, were not required to have a sprinkler system. But, the DOB said those buildings must have a city approved life safety compliance plan. This particular high-rise did so in December of 2014.
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