This Chicago Fire Scene Was Mistaken For A Real Tragedy

While Dick Wolf might have once had a surprising job in advertising, he's more known for creating some of the most well-known TV franchises. The prolific producer could have stopped with the hit "Law & Order" franchise, but lightning struck twice when he debuted a successful string of shows based in the Windy City. Known as the "One Chicago" series, this includes "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Med." The first show to kick off the franchise was "Chicago Fire," a series that spotlights the work and lives of first responders.

While some tune in for the relationship drama or the crossover specials, many "Chicago Fire" fans spend their Wednesday nights on NBC to see the fictional firefighters called to treacherous scenarios. "Chicago Fire" delivers realistic scenes that keep fans on the edge of their seats, but sometimes those dangerous scenarios appear a little too real for some. In the show's very first season, a staged accident looked all too real to a news chopper flying overhead, and things got complicated.

Per The Chicago Tribune, in late November 2012, WGN-TV News thought they had a coveted news scoop as their station helicopter caught shots of a downed airplane in the South Side of Chicago. However, it wasn't long after the station's anchors started reporting on the incident and aired footage that they were told on-air that the crash was a scene being shot for "Chicago Fire." The scene was from the episode "Under The Knife" in Season 1. According to Deadline, while WGN-TV News reported what they initially thought was an actual plane crash, Universal said they did have signs around that indicated filming was taking place and that they were allowed to film.

Additionally, the Tribune noted the Chicago Film Office informed the local community "Chicago Fire" was filming in their neighborhood. However, the information didn't get to any local news stations or all of the actual fire and police departments. The WGN-TV News Broadcast of the staged crash showed anchors Robin Baumgarten and Larry Potash visibly annoyed with the whole ordeal, but they appeared to take it all in stride, even laughing a bit with each other on-air by the time they cut to a commercial. It might not have been a bright day for journalism, but it did make for some entertaining TV.