For 14 years and counting, Chicago Fire fans have rooted for Firehouse 51’s Chris Herrmann (David Eigenberg), but the seasoned firefighter suffered a heartbreaking tragedy in Season 14’s October 22 episode “Mercy.”

The episode kicked off with a heartwarming morning at the Herrmann residence. As Herrmann’s wife Cindy (Robyn Coffin) corralled their

five children for school, one of Herrmann’s sons was delighted to learn he would soon grow taller than his brother after adding another

 

 

dash to their kitchen door frame with his updated height. Herrmann headed into work after wishing his loved ones well after a pleasant morning.

But not long after Herrmann arrived at Firehouse 51, his buddy Mouch (Christian Stolte) overheard a CFD call coming in about a house fire on the radio. The address was an absolute gut-punch: Herrmann’s house was on fire.

 

 

Firehouse 51 wasted no time flying into action. Despite being out of 51’s district, the Windy City heroes weren’t going to let Herrmann’s house burn down without a valiant fight.

Herrmann was horrified after his house burned down on Chicago Fire

 

 

Firehouse 51 arrived to an inferno consuming Herrmann’s house, soon verifying that luckily none of his family members were inside. Herrmann rushed into the home to extinguish the flames, but overwhelmed by emotion, he struggled to evacuate after receiving the command.

Devastated by the sight of all of the charred memories, Herrmann had to be forcibly removed from his house. After Herrmann begged the firefighters to keep fighting the inferno, a massive explosion silenced any hope of salvaging the residence.

It was a sullen return to Firehouse 51 as the firefighters discussed what Herrmann’s family’s plans were after their displacement. Chihards watched Herrmann and his family move into that home in early Chicago Fire, and after living in that house with his family for 10 years, his friends knew how tragic the loss was. Herrmann, meanwhile, was concerned about what had started the fire when no one was home.

Herrmann recruited Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) to leverage his experience in arson investigation to get to the bottom of it. Severide discovered the fire started in the kitchen, but struggled to prove how. Herrmann explained that the outlets had been recently rewired, could that have been it? Severide confirmed that could have served as the spark. The catch? Herrmann had been the one to rewire the stove.

Severide later proved that the fire was caused by a short in the ignition unit, not a rewiring snafu. While Herrmann was relieved to be absolved, he remained heartbroken over the loss of his home. Herrmann suspiciously asked if Mouch was there to tell him to move on, but Mouch shook his head — he was there to help however he could.

Herrmann and Mouch got into a fight after the fire
After learning his DIY wiring could have caused the fire, Herrmann was left ransacked with guilt. His family had lost so much; from his daughter’s journals to a ring from Cindy’s late mother, so many bespoke items were gone.

After he lamented over the loss of these belongings to Mouch, his friend tried to remind him of the material nature of those items. But this only irritated Herrmann, who explained it wasn’t just stuff to him or his family, it was a decade of lost memories.

After Herrmann began evading calls or texts, Cindy called Mouch to get his help tracking down her husband. Mouch went to the one place he felt Herrmann would be hiding: within the rubble of his cherished home. Mouch found Herrmann inside the ashen remains, scavenging for the door frame with his children’s heights on it. But Herrmann had found nothing.

Mouch comforted his friend, eagerly telling him that he wasn’t responsible for the spark.

Herrmann returned to the temporary home Mouch had found for the family and apologized to Cindy for worrying her with his absence. Herrmann admitted that he returned to their home in hopes of finding anything to bring back, revealing that with Mouch’s help, they’d recovered Cindy’s mother’s ring. Cindy was overwhelmed with emotion, tearfully thanking Herrmann and reminding him they were in this next chapter together.