Chicago Fire has never been short of intense action or gripping drama, and the NBC series delivered one of its most heart-pumping moments when Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) were forced to make the ultimate leap of faith to escape a fiery explosion.
You read that correctly; the fearless firefighters once had to escape from the top of a warehouse by jumping from the roof, with no one waiting to help below. The spur-of-the-moment survival plan went down during the Season 6 premiere (“Law of the Jungle”), where Firehouse 51 addressed a particularly nasty gas fire. Casey and Severide tag-teamed countless infernos during their shared tenure at the Windy City firehouse, but few sent them flying like this escapade.
Severide and Casey were forced to think outside the box after Firehouse 51 responded to a call involving a warehouse fire. After discovering that a massive gas leak compromised the building, the team worked to evacuate and contain the situation.
After containing the gas leak by holding down a loose valve, Severide found himself trapped on the roof with no viable escape route. As the blaze intensified, Casey rushed to his friend’s side to lend a hand. Once on the roof, Casey and Severide quickly realized how deadly the situation had become as they held down the valve and strategized an escape.
As Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) called over the radio to evacuate immediately, Casey realized that the pressure was on and time was ticking. But if they let go of the valve, the roof — as well as anyone standing on it — would explode.
“So what now?” Severide asked. “As soon as we leave, this thing’s gonna blow.”
It didn’t take long for Casey to realize that the firefighters had only one path to safety: a potentially perilous jump into the neighboring Chicago River. Out of options, Casey asked his friend, “How many steps do you think it is to the edge of the building?”
“To do what?” Severide exclaimed. “Jump!?”
“Sure,” Casey shrugged, conjuring up the courage himself. “We let go, make a break for it, jump into the water.”
The pitch rendered Severide downright speechless, but the seconds were ticking. “Come on, get ready!” Casey encouraged. “Count of three!”
“This is insane!” Severide said, shaking his head.
“Let’s go!” Casey cried out. “1…2…”
“Damnit, Casey,” Severide groaned as his commanding officer yelled, “3!”
Then, without a moment of hesitation, the two firefighters sprinted to leap from the rooftop into the river, narrowly escaping the massive explosion that erupted behind them. The fiery blast rocked the screen in true Chicago Fire fashion, sending flames flying and throwing a plume of smoke high into the air as Casey and Severide successfully escaped. To say it was a close call is an understatement — Severide and Casey barely made it, but the moment lives rent-free in the minds of Fire fans everywhere.
