Flags in Illinois will be flying at half-staff for several days this week in honor of a fallen Chicago firefighter.
Under an order issued from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, flags were lowered to half-staff on Sunday to honor Chicago Fire Department Captain David Meyer, who passed away Wednesday while battling a garage fire in the Austin neighborhood.
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WATCH HEREAccording to Pritzker’s order, flags will be flown at half-staff until Tuesday at sunset in Meyer’s memory. Meyer will be laid to rest after a funeral service Tuesday, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Meyer died Wednesday when a structural collapse occurred in the garage in the 5500 block of West Crystal Street. A mayday call went out at approximately 5:40 a.m., and Meyer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Meyer was a 28-year veteran of the department, and was survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.
The fire was determined to have been deliberately set, and a suspect has been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated arson in connection with the blaze. He is accused of deliberately setting the contents of a trash can on fire, one of several blazes that was reported in the area in the days prior to the fire that led to Meyer’s death.
The suspect was ordered held pretrial by a judge this weekend.
Chicago Politics
Flags had previously been flying at half-staff at the order of President Donald Trump in honor of the late Pope Francis, who was interred on Saturday.
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