Firefighter in 'Good Condition' After Elevator Shaft Fall: Reports

Photo via Chicago Fire Department

CHICAGO, IL -- The building where a Chicago firefighter fell down an elevator shaft during a search and rescue mission on Friday night is now under probe for possible code violations, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

Firefighters responded to the apartment blaze just after 10 p.m. in the Austin neighborhood that left a 63-year-old tenant dead and displaced 30 people.

• Also on Patch: Firefighter Falls Down Elevator Shaft Battling West Side Blaze

The fire in the 300 block of N. Central Avenue was put out by around 10:45 p.m. The firefighter, who is in his 40s, fell down the elevator shaft was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he is listed in good condition, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

A second firefighter was also transported for minor injuries.

According to the Tribune, the building failed its latest inspection on Feb. 23. Chicago Department of Building records indicated the building was cited for failure to repair the elevator and failure to maintain "safe operating condition" of the elevator.

The building was also cited for not maintaining “electric elevator equipment.” The elevator was not currently in operation, the Tribune said.

The city visited the building again after Friday's fire, and determined the repairs had not been made after February’s inspection. The building owner was ordered to place plywood across the elevators on each floor to block access.

Langford told the Tribune that the firefighter fell down two stories. The elevator door was described as an “apartment-style door.”

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

In December, another Chicago firefighter, Dan Capuano, died in the line of duty when he fell through an elevator shaft while engaged in a warehouse fire on the South Side.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune