Firefighter Record

Incident Summary

On April 5, 2023, Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Jan Tchoryk died of a heart attack in the line of duty while battling a high-rise fire in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago.

A fire broke out on the 27th floor of a high-rise building in the 1200 block of North Lake Shore Drive at approximately 7:00AM and Tchoryk responded to the fire with Tower Ladder 10. The high-rise building had 35 floors and no sprinkler system. Tchoryk was assigned to the fire investigation team (FIT) tasked with identifying the source and cause of the fire. Following standard practice, the FIT took an elevator up to a floor lower than the fire floor, in this case the 24th floor. Taking an elevator up to a floor below the fire floor allowed firefighters to have a safety buffer and gave them an opportunity to assess the scene and prepare their equipment prior to being near the fire. Once ready, Tchoryk and the FIT climbed the three floors up to the fire on the 27th floor, encountering dark, thick smoke and moderate heat and were joined by other firefighters from both engine and truck companies. Once all firefighters ran out of air in their self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs), they all started moving down two floors to the 25th floor via the stairs, where a medical team was set up per fire department standard operating procedures. Soon thereafter, the elevators became inoperable due to water draining down into the elevator shaft. Tchoryk collapsed in the stairwell on the 25th floor at the same time that another firefighter was coming up the stairs. The firefighter coming up the stairs started emergency care and a Mayday was called, but there was confusion due to heavy radio traffic and another Mayday call. The medical team staged on the 25th floor had previously been called to a smoke inhalation injury on the 23rd floor and was not immediately available to provide care to Tchoryk. The firefighter then started trying to remove Tchoryk from the building via the stairs. By the time that Tchoryk was transported to around the 13th floor, he was met by the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), who took over emergency medical care. Tchoryk was removed from the building and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Funeral services for Tchoryk were held at St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago, followed by his burial at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, also in Chicago.

A 26-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department, Tchoryk was survived by his wife, four children, and stepdaughter.

Citations:

“55-year-old lieutenant dies from heart attack while responding to high-rise fire – Illinois,” NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, Report F2023-06, June, 2025.