Fans had a feeling the Chicago Fire season 14 fall finale was going to end with a few burning questions, but no one was prepared for the two major revelations the final moments of the episode brought!
Early in the episode, 51 responded to a fire at a school. Fortunately, the fire broke out over the weekend, so the building was empty with the only victim inside being a custodian, who Severide and the team were able to pull to safety. After the fire, Severide and Squad head to the scene to investigate and quickly discover the fire was no accident.
While investigating, Squad finds gasoline on a scorched coffee machine and they quickly discover that this was arson. As they look into things, it becomes clear that the target of the attack was the school’s principal, who was supposed to be at the school when the fire struck, but wasn’t as he was running late that day.
As Severide and Van Meter look into the fire, they realize it was set remotely using a smart plug controlled by an app. They also discover that there is a social media group containing several students targeting the school principal.
Worried that the attempted killer might strike again, Severide and Van Meter go to visit the principal at his home and make him aware of their concerns. He welcomes the pair upstairs to his apartment and they begin to inform him of their findings as the camera pans out, giving us a view of the building. As Severide and Van Meter discuss things with the principal in his upper apartment, we see a hooded individual enter the lobby and light a fire before exiting the building.
The finale ends with Severide, Van Meter, and the principal upstairs as the fire begins to spread through the apartment building. It’s a cliffhanger that will play out in the winter premiere, as the trio races to get to safety with the fire quickly engulfing the principal’s apartment.
Is Mouch leaving Chicago Fire? That’s the question the fall finale leaves fans with
While Severide and Van Meter’s lives hang in the balance literally, another member of Firehouse 51’s future also hangs in the balance as the episode draws to a close.
All season, we’ve watched the CFD get hit with budget cuts that have made life harder for the firefighters in the city. These budget cuts have impacted 51 in varying ways, but the firehouse thankfully hasn’t been directly impacted by layoffs. However, that might be about to change.
While getting dinner with the mayor’s chief of staff, Pascal learns that the CFD is about to take another hit as the city looks to reallocate resources to avoid a teachers’ strike. To avoid the strike, the city needs to reallocate funds and the CFD is going to take the hit in this instance. As Annette reveals to Pascal, the CFD has recommended that Engine 51 will be decommissioned, meaning Mouch’s time as a lieutenant could be coming to an abrupt end and his future at 51 is looking considerably uncertain.
We’ll find out what the future will hold for Mouch and whether Severide and Van Meter get out of the fire safely when Chicago Fire season 14 resumes on January 7, 2026.