Firefighter Down? Chicago Fire Photo Leak Spoils a Possible Death in Season 12 Premiere

The Season 12 premiere of Chicago Fire is right around the corner, but new leaked photos have viewers concerned for one fan-favorite firefighter. Does Blake Gallo die in the Season 12 premiere? We have all the details below.

In November 2023, Alberto Rosende, who stars as rookie firefighter Blake Gallo, revealed that he would be exiting the hit NBC show in Season 12. He revealed on his Instagram Story that the decision to leave “wasn’t easy.” He continued, “The people I’ve met were truly special, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime and story I got to tell was one that made me proud … Can’t wait to see what else is in store and I wish everyone the best in shooting the rest of the season!” Our sister site Deadline also reported that Rosende will only appear in the premiere episode, which has fans worried that he might be killed off.

In early January 2024, several photos from the premiere episode “Barely Gone,” surfaced, and one shot immediately caused concern amongst fans that a Firehouse 51 crew member might get seriously injured. With Gallo not pictured in any of the new photos, fans are worried about his fate. Below, find spoilers for the Season 12 premiere and details on Gallo’s potential death.

Does Gallo die in Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere?

Does Gallo die in Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere? While we don’t officially know how the firefighter will be written off, a new Season 12 photo hints that he could potentially die or get critically injured.

In the first few photos from the premiere episode, the crew is seen extinguishing a fire on a delivery truck. In one grave shot, a man lies lifeless on a stretcher with several intense burns to his head. While its unclear if the burn victim is a civilian or a firefighter, his outfit does resemble the Firehouse 51 uniforms and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Sylvia Brett (Kara Killmer) are pictured looking on to the scene in shock, which could mean that the man on the stretcher is one of their own. Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) and Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) are also attending to the victim, so we know they are in the clear. The burns are so severe that it is nearly impossible to identify who the victim is, but it is obviously a white male. Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) could be seen in other Season 12 premiere photos, which leaves only Harold Capp (Randy Flagler) and Gallo unaccounted for.

Gallo has a tendency to put himself in danger and pull risky stunts, so it’s possible that his recklessness put his life at stake. We also know that Rosende’s last episode will be the premiere, and it wouldn’t be the first time a character has been killed off as an exit storyline. Additionally, Chicago Fire hasn’t had a firefighter death since Season 8, so there could be one in store. While Mouch’s fate is still hanging in the balance after he was shot in the Season 11 finale, the actor who plays him, Christian Stolte, has not confirmed if he is leaving the show.

Fans have been worried that Gallo will be killed off since Rosende announced his exit. In a Reddit thread, a fan wrote: “Why do I feel Gallo is gonna die. I can’t see how they can write him out happily in just one episode.” Another user theorized, “Gallo might not die but he’ll get injured so bad that he’ll have to quit the CFD. Poor guy is only getting one episode.” A third fan expressed their hope that Gallo is not killed off, especially in a fire given his backstory. “Considering his parents and his sister all died in that fire and he survived, it would be so mean to have him die in a fire 20 years later,” they wrote, adding: “Gallo deserves a happy ending. But him only appearing in the premiere makes me fear they’re going to kill him off.”