From Chicagofirefightersmonument.org:
On January 28, 1961, at 6:30 a.m., the Chicago Fire Department responded to a seven-story warehouse fire at 614 W. Hubbard St. The structure was heavily involved and within 20 minutes the alarm was raised to a 5-11. The response brought more than 300 men, 67 pieces of equipment, and two fireboats pumping water from the Chicago River.
Battalion Chief George Kuhn led several firefighters onto the roof of an adjacent two-story building to run a hose into the burning warehouse. Without warning, the adjoining warehouse wall collapsed onto the smaller building, burying Chief Kuhn and his firefighters. Other firefighters raced to rescue those buried in the rubble and, as they worked, the roof of the smaller building collapsed, burying the initial victims and rescuers.
In all nine fireman perished, including two battalion chiefs.
- Battalion Chief George Rees, Engine 40, Battalion 1
- Battalion Chief George Kuhn, Engine 19, Battalion 5
- Lt. Charles Rauch, Engine 114
- Lt. Louis Repkin, Truck 19
- Firefighter Hillard S. Augustine, Squad 10
- Firefighter William Hillistad, Engine 44
- Firefighter Stanley Sliwinski, Engine 26
- Firefighter Ciro Zuccarello, Engine 26
- Firefighter Robert Burns, Squad 2
thanks Dan
Click the link above for a photo gallery that is Courtesy of the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago
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#1 by mike mc on January 29, 2016 - 1:29 PM
Nice to acknowledge this forgotten tragedy. You guys got the story right as far as what happened. The Illinois Fire Service Institute has it wrong.
The courage displayed by the FFs who were trying to open the burglar bars or attempting to push the trailer out of the way while the almost fully involved 7 story building shadowed over them is legendary. Commissioner Quinn personally supervised the rescue efforts and they were talking to Chief Rees, who was pinned, up until his death only minutes before he would have been extricated. This was one of the most dramatic, as well as tragic, events in the history of the CFD.
Retired Lt. Wally Lynch, (long time Engine 43) who died in 2015, was one of several injured at this fire. His company officer, Lt. Rauch of Engine 114, who was standing next to him, was killed. Some of the infured FFs did not return to duty.
Chiefs Mohr and O’Brian also had the Our Lady of the Angels fire in 1958 and responded as 2nd and 1st deputies to that fire as well. Future commissioner Lou Galante was the Lt on Squad 2 and lost a candidate, Bob Burns, whom Chief Kuhn took with him when he checked the exposure building and they were trapped by a partial collapse, starting the tragic chain of events.