Chicago Fire Season 14 Finale Ending, Explained: Who Died? Who Survived?

“Chicago Fire” has delivered another explosive finale that puts the lives of several members of 51 on the line. 

The episode opens with a massive building fire, but the story behind the emergency is unknown. The episode goes on to alternate between flashbacks, which slowly approach the current timeline, and the mysterious, present emergency.

Just a couple of days before the big catastrophe, we learn Chief Pascal returned to deliver Severide a piece of good news: His promotion to captain went through. Pascal encourages Severide to turn down the position with the Office of Fire Investigation (OFI), but Severide needs more time to weigh his options. 

Meanwhile, Isaiah pays 51 a last-minute, secret visit, where he reconnects with Severide and Stella to tell them that his mother can no longer care for him. She wants him to move in with a family friend, but he wants to come back to live with the two of them.

As Severide continues to weigh his decision, made more complicated now by the possibility of becoming a guardian again, Mouch gets an unexpected offer from a publisher: They want to publish his book, but it’s not the one you think. Apparently, years ago, Mouch sent in a manuscript for a romance novel titled “Sheets on Fire,” and the agent thinks the timing is right. He wants to move forward with that book, rather than either of Mouch’s memoir drafts.

As the flashbacks grow closer to the present-day emergency, the feeling that something terrible is about to happen continues to mount. But in the past, the pleasures only carry on. Herrmann and Cindy decide to renew their vows in a last-minute ceremony at Molly’s. The theme? Gratitude. Violet and Novak help Cindy plan the whole affair. Everyone from the firehouse attends — except for Cruz, who just found out his wife is having twins! — and watch as the pair exchange their vows.

Chief Pascal swings by 51 to check if Severide has made a decision yet. Severide says he has, but just before he reveals his choice, the firehouse is called to a structure fire, aka the mysterious fire at the center of the episode. 

The fire remains a mysterious beast as the crew tries to infiltrate the structure, which is now full of smoke, to locate the source of the flames. An explosion inside prompts members of the crew — including Stella and Herrmann — who had been standing on the roof to evacuate by climbing down the rig’s ladder. As the episode ends, Severide makes a call for help from the inside, announcing he, Mouch, and more members of 51 are trapped inside. The rest of the crew is engulfed in explosive flames as they descend the ladder. 

The fates of pretty much everyone remain unknown when the episode concludes. Deadline reports, however, that both Taylor Kinney and Miranda Mae Rayo, who play Severide and Stella, respectively, have already signed on to return next season. All signs point to both of those firefighters surviving, but the Season 14 finale set up plenty of other loose ends: What are the details of this fire? Will everyone else make it out alive? What’s Severide’s next career move? Will Isaiah be allowed to move back in with Stella and Severide? All of these questions — and more! — won’t be answered until the series returns to NBC in the fall. 

What did you think of the “Chicago Fire” Season 14 finale? Grade the episode — and the season as a whole — in the polls below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!