Chicago Fire puts characters in danger on a weekly basis. We see firefighters and medics putting their lives on the line to protect others. Unfortunately, it doesn't always end well. There have been several deaths over the course of the show's 13 seasons. Some of which, we are still reeling from.
In an effort to celebrate, grieve, and simply remember the Chicago Fire characters who have fallen, we decided to compile a list of every major death that has occurred, from the pilot to the present. It gets a little bleak, but such are the risks of the job. Our one rule is that the character in question had to have worked as a firefighter/medic.
Andy Darden (Chicago Fire S1.E1)
Andy Darden (Corey Sorenson), we hardly knew ye. The character was set up as a friend of both Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), but he died in a fire during the pilot. It was shock to both men, and eventually laid the foundation for Casey and Severide to get close on the job.
Darden's impact is still being felt today. Casey is now the legal guardian of both of his sons, and they live together in Oregon. It's a shame we didn't get to know him better, but we're glad we knew him at all.
Rebecca Jones (Chicago Fire S2.E118)
Rebecca Jones (Daisy Betts) was poised to be a huge part of Chicago Fire when she joined in season 2. She quickly struck up a friendship with Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund), and proved to be solid in the field. Unfortunately, personal demons got the best of her.
Jones did not make it out of season 2. She took her own life in the episode "Until Your Feet Leave the Ground," and left a note for her friend, Dawson. It has been the only instance of a 51 character taking their own life, and it remains just as tragic when you watch it today.
Leslie Shay (Chicago Fire S2.E22)
This one is a bit tricky. Leslie Shay (Lauren German) responded to a fire in an apartment building in the season 2 finale. The roof collapsed with Shay inside, and a beam struck her head, killing her instantly. Shay was a fan favorite character, which made this arguably the most upsetting death in Fire history up to this point.
The tricky part comes down to labeling. Shay's death occurred in the season 2 finale, but it wasn't confirmed until the season 3 premiere (a flashback episode that also features Darden). Both qualify, with regard to being Shay's "death" episode, but we ultimately went with the former.
Danny Borrelli (Chicago Fire S4.E22)
You'll notice the deaths become less frequent as the show goes on. Good thing, too because we would run out of characters otherwise. Danny Borrelli (Andy Ahrens) was a peripheral character in the sense that we only knew him because of his brother, Jimmy (Steven R. McQueen), but he was still a Chicago firefighter, so he makes the cut here.
Danny was taken out in the season 4 episode "Where the Collapse Started." The firefighter was crushed by crumbling debris, and despite the efforts of his little brother to save him, it was too late. He was honored in the following episode, "Superhero."
Benny Severide (Chicago Fire S7.E6)
Benny Severide (Treat Williams) was a retired arson investigator and the father of Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney). His dynamic with his son was never the smoothest, but Kelly still felt the emotional wallop of Benny's death when it occurred in the season 7 episode "All the Proof."
Benny died offscreen, though he did appear in the episode prior, "A Volatile Mixture." Kelly and his half-sister bonded over the loss, and the former still waxes poetic about his old man whenever he gets the chance.
Brian "Otis" Zvonecek (Chicago Fire S8.E1)
The most famous, or infamous, death in Chicago Fire history. We all remember where we were when Otis (Yuri Sardarov) died after suffering massive injuries in a mattress factory fire. His best friend, Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) was able to drag him to safety and get him hospitalized, but it was too late.
Otis perished in the hospital, with Cruz at his side. It really is one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire show. Otis is so beloved, though, that he is still being referenced by the characters today. He left a heck of a legacy behind.
Evan Hawkins (Chicago Fire S11.E3)
Everybody seemed safe between seasons 8 and 11. Then, tragedy struck again. Chief Evan Hawkins (Jimmy Nicholas), the beloved boyfriend of Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), rushed into a burning building to save someone else.
He suffered mortal injuries in the process, though, and died in Violet's arms outside of the building. It wasn't confirmed that Hawkins had died until the following episode, but the devastation on Violet's face all but spelled it out. A brutal way to go.