As it turns out, the fire that tops the list for most harrowing in the 3rd season of "Chicago Fire" actually starts in the final episode of the second season and burns on into Season 3, with lethal results for the squad. As "Always," the premiere episode of the show's 3rd season opens, numerous members of the Firehouse 51 team are seen amid the burning rubble of the warehouse that exploded and went up in flame in the last season's final outing. With the fire very much alive and the danger of further collapse imminent, the squad races to find surviving members amid the chaos. Finally, firefighter Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett) is located with a broken leg. But when Leslie Shay (Lauren German) is pulled from the debris, her serious head injury results in her being pronounced dead, a horrific loss with repercussions that will echo on through future episodes of the season.
As noted, other events befalling the team in Season 3 clearly place favorite characters in jeopardy or take an emotional toll on those involved, including the tragic, delayed death of an infant after a rescue in Episode 18. But the serious injury of Mills and the shocking death of fan-favorite Leslie Shay in the blaze as Season 3 begins marks the worst possible fire for the team members of "Chicago Fire."
