CFD starts fundraiser for firefighter’s family after 7-year-old son dies in Montclare blaze

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Fire Department handed out smoke detectors on Friday on the city’s Northwest Side after a firefighter’s son was killed in a blaze earlier this week.

Ezra Stewart, 7-year-old son of a Chicago firefighter, died after a Montclare house fire on Tuesday night, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Stewart died at 6:25 p.m. Wednesday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

The firefighter’s wife and two other children were critically injured in the fire, which broke out just after 9 p.m. in the 2500-block of North Rutherford Avenue, officials said. They all suffered severe smoke inhalation.

A deceased pet was also seen being removed from the home Wednesday morning.

Chicago fire officials passed out smoke alarms and fire prevention materials near where the fire occurred, as they always do after a deadly blaze. It’s a reminder to check devices and change batteries in the detectors, especially as we approach the time change weekend.

The home involved in the fire did have detectors, CFD said.

CFD Spokesman Larry Langford said the firefighter at Truck 55 in Edison Park rushed to the scene after hearing his own address come over the scanner. His fellow firefighters huddled around to show their support.

Ignite the Spirit, a Chicago Fire Department charity, has established a fund to support the family.

Fire inspectors are working on determining the cause of the fire. Investigators wouldn’t say whether or not the fire was intentional as the cause remains under investigation.