Firefighter Dies Battling Blaze At Avec

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 9, 2010 2:00PM

Tragic news to begin the morning: a CFD firefighter died overnight from injuries sustained while battling a fire at West Loop restaurant Avec. Christopher Wheatley, 31, sustained fatal injuries when he slipped and fell 35 feet off a ladder as he was heading to the roof, carrying 75 pounds of equipment, to help battle a grease chute fire. The incident occurred just after 12:30 a.m. last night; Wheatley was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead a short while later. Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff said at a press conference, “He was very, very well liked. He was a very hard worker. He was a paramedic firefighter, who always had a smile on his face. And he was extremely well-liked by all the men that worked with him, and the women. He was a paramedic for a long time, then he crossed over to be a firefighter." Wheatley was a paramedic from 2000 until 2008 when he joined the CFD. There was no word on the extent of damage to the restaurant.