The family of a Chicago firefighter killed in 2010, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the property owners of the vacant building where the fire occurred.
Firefighters Edward Stringer, 47, and Corey Ankum, 34, were killed in a collapse on December 22, 2010 at a fire at the former Sing Way Cleaners, at 1744 East 75th Street. The fire went to three alarms and injured 19 other firefighters.
Today, Stringer’s daughter Jennifer and son Edward Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Chuck M. Dai and Richard Dai, the owners of building. They had been cited previously for code violations that had not been addressed prior to the fire.
According to Jennifer Stringer “Neither my father nor his comrade would have died that day if this building had been properly secured, or better yet, torn down… The owner’s negligence and his ignoring of citations created a tragedy … The owner’s negligence and his ignoring of citations created the tragedy, and I am here today to put the spotlight on him, and hold him accountable.”
One historical oddity about the story – the December 22, 2010 fire occurred 100 years to the day of the Chicago Union Stockyard Fire that killed 21 Chicago firefighters.