Second Chicago Firefighter Dies of Novel Coronavirus

Chicago Tribune

A second veteran Chicago Fire Department member has lost his battle with COVID-19.

Firefighter Edward Singleton, 55, who is survived by his wife and two children, died Tuesday, after suffering from complications from the novel coronavirus, Fire Commissioner Richard Ford said in a statement.

Singleton joined the department in August 1987, and his most recent assignment was at Midway Airport on the city’s Southwest Side.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the loss of a second dedicated member,’’ Ford said in the statement.

“Firefighter Singleton’s contributions and his spirit will live on forever," Ford said. “We ask that the entire city add Firefighter Edward Singleton, his wife Nicol, and his two adult children Breonna and Edward II to their prayers."

Singleton was a “dedicated public servant" who loved his city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon. His death is “another painful and tragic reminder’’ of the dangers “of this tragic disease,” Lightfoot said.

Earlier this month, firefighter Mario Araujo, 49, who worked in the Rogers Park neighborhood for more than 16 years, became the first Chicago firefighter to die after suffering from the coronavirus.