Chicago Fire: Is Barling and Sons a real funeral home?
To nobody’s surprise, a fire broke out on a recent episode of Chicago Fire. The 51 squad were called to put out a blaze at Barling and Sons funeral home, and due to the chemicals that were stored in the building, it was a nastier one than usual.
It was a unique setting for a fire, and one that was especially fitting, given the episode’s focus on Halloween and generally ghoulish activity. It also led some fans to question whether Barling and Sons was a real funeral home, or simply a place that was created for the show.
Chicago Fire funeral home location
Unfortunately (or fortunately), Barling and Sons is not a real funeral home in the Windy City. It was fabricated for the show, despite the episode taking great pains to mention the name and make the brand feel as though it’s a legitimate business.
Barling and Sons may sound like a brand you’ve heard before, and that’s because the name is very similar to several real-life brands. The most prominent is the Barling tobacco pipe, which is a fairly popular line that has several different designs and options.
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Chicago Fire did use a real funeral home location for the episode, but the location is actually called A.A. Rayner and Sons Funeral Home and it’s on 5911 W. Madison St. in Austin. The funeral home is considered historic, as its been around since 1947.
The irony, being that Barling and Sons isn’t a real place, is that the place that was used to double for it nearly succumbed to a real fire during filming. Austin Weekly News stated that a fire broke out a block away, while gunshots were heard right across the street. Authorities were called, and thankfully none of the cast or crew were injured.
"“A real fire broke out on the 5800 block of W. Madison St., so the real fire department had to respond to that”, said Charles Childs Jr., the director of A.A. Rayner and Sons. “Thankfully, nobody got hurt in the real fire, the pretend fire or during the shooting.”"
Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.
Next. Who’s in, who’s out on Chicago Fire, PD and Med. dark
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