CHICAGO — The wife of a Chicago firefighter died from her injuries suffered in a fire, days after their 7-year-old son was killed in the same blaze, authorities said.
Summer Day-Stewart, 36, died from her injuries on Thursday, WLS-TV reported. Her son, Ezra Stewart, died Wednesday, a day after the fire engulfed the home in the Montclare neighborhood of northwest Chicago, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The firefighter, identified by Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 as Walter Stewart, performed CPR on his wife, WBBM-TV reported.
Day-Stewart’s other children, a 2-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter, remain unconscious and are in “extremely critical condition,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A deceased pet was also removed from the residence, WLS reported.
Day-Stewart and her children suffered smoke inhalation, according to the Sun-Times.
“Summer lived up to her name,” her sister-in-law, Amber Day, told WLS. “She was the sunshine to everybody.”
“Everywhere she went, she meant something to everybody. She was just that kind of person,” her sister, Sarah Day, told the television station. “She was so unique.”
Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said that Walter Stewart rushed to the scene after hearing his own address come over the scanner, WLS reported.
“How do you come back from that?” Amber Day told the television station. “How do you recover from that? How do you go on knowing that that was your life? That was it?”
“Every member of Local 2 and the Department mourns with our brother Walter and the Stewart family. This tragedy weighs heavy on our hearts, and we pledge our ongoing support,” Jim Tracy, president of Local 2, told WBBM in a statement. “Local 2 is encouraging everyone to make a donation for Walter and the Stewart family through the ‘Ignite The Spirit Chicago’ (site).”