Chicago Fire Department

The blaze started when combustible items were left near a heat source, officials said.

"This has been a tragic week for us, unprecedented," said fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt. "I can't tell you how this impacts us, losing two members in two days."

Jermaine Pelt joined the Fire Department in 2005 and spent his entire career serving the Far South Side.

Summer Day-Stewart was "more than a firefighter's wife," her grieving loved ones said. "If you needed her, she was there."

The firefighter union is raising donations for Walter Stewart, who also lost his 7-year-old son in the blaze.

A fundraiser will benefit firefighter Walter Stewart and his family after the deadly fire in his Northwest Side home.

The debris covered the sidewalk and road and crashed on top of cars at the scene.

Three people were safely evacuated from the building, but one person was hospitalized after being bitten by a dog running away from the fire, officials said.

Eight other people were hospitalized after the Wednesday morning fire.

The victim was doing rehab work on the building and was trapped under debris for nearly two hours after the incident, fire department officials said.

A statue outside Plummer's Portage park firehouse was made possible thanks to $15,000 raised by the community.

Several people also were displaced as hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze at the four-story building Tuesday morning, officials said.

Susan Ellis escaped the blaze after neighbors told her the home was on fire. The home that has been in her family for more than 60 years was severely damaged, she said. “My father built this."

Albert Ruiz said he and his girlfriend lost almost everything, including all the things they'd bought for their baby, who's due in October.

Dozens of neighbors gathered for a vigil Wednesday in honor of Axel, Aiden and Jayden Cruz, and Angel Rodriguez, who died this week after officials say they were trapped inside their basement apartment when it caught fire.

The building collapsed shortly after the fire broke out, but no one was injured, fire officials said

The boys' mother, who suffered burns, managed to escape through a window, but the boys were stuck in the apartment, inhaling deadly smoke, said a Fire Department spokesman.

Jayden Cruz, 6, and Angel Rodriguez, 11, died of their injuries Monday, officials confirmed. Axel Cruz, 4, died early Sunday morning.

Timothy Eiland, 33, was shot Sept. 11 as he was leaving a family birthday party. His teenage niece and three other men were wounded, and a mom from suburban Dolton was killed.