Overview
- Investigators expand the case after clearing an early teen suspect and focusing on evidence of remote ignition.
- A private online group targeting the principal broadens the suspect pool and raises questions about alleged mistreatment.
- The episode closes on a cliffhanger that leaves Severide and investigator Tom Van Meter in jeopardy until the series returns in 2026.
- To avert a teachers’ strike, the mayor’s office redirects funds and flags Engine 51 for permanent shutdown, complicating Dom Pascal’s relationship with Chief of Staff Annette Davis.
- Personal arcs advance as Stella Kidd travels to aid her foster son’s birth mother, Sal Vasquez faces an unexpected encounter with his parolee father, and Lizzie Novak works to reconnect with her sister.