A stretch of Hamlin Avenue in Chicago was dedicated Friday to a fallen South Side firefighter.
The 10500 block of Hamlin will now be known as “Daniel V Capuano Avenue,” named for the 42-year-old firefighter who fell down an elevator shaft after his company was dispatched to a fire in a vacant warehouse in the 9200 block of South Baltimore Avenue during the early morning hours of Dec. 14, 2015.
A dedication ceremony was held Friday on the South Side street, which is near where the Capuano family lives.
“My dad will be remembered not only by everyone on this block, but also everyone who walks or drives down Hamlin Avenue,” said Amanda Capuano, daughter of the fallen firefighter.
Amanda Capuano said she couldn’t fully put into words how much the dedication meant to her and the rest of the family.
“My hope is that as people drive down our block and see his name on the street signs, they will remember what an amazing husband and father” he was, she said.
A proclamation from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel designated Aug. 5 as Daniel Capuano Day in the city.
Daniel Capuano was declared dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center hours after his fall. He and his wife, Julie, had been married 20 years. Amanda is their only daughter. They also have two sons, Nick and Andrew.
The funeral at St. Rita of Cascia High School drew hundreds of firefighters.
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In the months following his death, the Capuano family had filed a lawsuit related to the accident. City officials said the building did not have proper permits and that removal of the elevator was not authorized.
The renaming of the street follows an ordinance which was submitted by Alderman Matt O’Shea of the 19th Ward.
The street dedication was held just feet from where Capuano family home, said Richard Ford II, first deputy commissioner for the Chicago Fire Department.
“Danny made the ultimate sacrifice in December 2015, doing what he loved best, serving and protecting the residents and visitors of this great city,” Ford said.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.