9/26/1898 a San Jose, CA firefighter died “while manning a hose line with other members of his company on the second floor of the old Vendome Hotel on North First Street, shortly before midnight. The firefighter was caught in a sudden collapse of the rear wall and three upper … [Read more...]

9/25/1832 two Manhattan, New York firefighters “were killed while operating at a fire. Jesse Delano's Iron Chest Factory on the corner of White Street and Gouverneur Lane caught fire around midnight. The seven-story building was totally destroyed in the fire. At three o'clock, … [Read more...]

9/24/1901 a Chicago, IL firefighter died while fighting an industrial fire at 3142 South Canal Street. “The fire in the five-story factory for the Freund Brothers Manufacturing Company was reported shortly after 7:00 a.m. Neighbors heard a loud explosion and saw flames through … [Read more...]

9/23/2005 a fire on a bus near Dallas, TX killed twenty-four of the thirty-eight elderly residents and six employees evacuating from Hurricane Rita. The fire was accelerated by patients’ oxygen making it too hot to rescue the victims. The fire may have been caused by the … [Read more...]

9/22/1899 a Strathroy, Ontario, Canada firefighter “was trapped for over twenty minutes with other members after the rear wall fell on them at a barn fire at the corner of Kittredge Ave and Caradoc Street. The other firefighters received minor injuries, but this firefighter died … [Read more...]

9/21/1904 four Denver, CO firefighters “were killed from inhaling nitric acid fumes at the Denver Post fire and nitric acid spill on September 20, 1904. One died the following day (9/21). A 16-gallon container of nitric acid burst open in the etching room of the Denver Post. A … [Read more...]

9/20/1896 a Lake County Fire Protection District, CO firefighter was killed when “the Coronado mine owners threatened to reopen the mines with “scab” workers because miners demanded a wage increase to $3.00 a day. The angry miners launched an attack and started a fire at the … [Read more...]

9/19/1902 Birmingham, AL the yell of “fire” in church causes 100+ to be trampled to death at the Shiloh Baptist Church at 9 o’clock after Booker T. Washington concluded his speech to the National Convention. The Shiloh Church was a large place of worship, with more than 2,000 in … [Read more...]

9/18/1926 two Philadelphia, PA firefighters died “while operating at a five-alarm fire at Freihofer Baking Co. at 19th & Indiana Avenue, they were killed when they were caught under a collapsing wall.” 9/18/1945 an aircraft hangar fire at the Naval Air Station Richmond … [Read more...]

9/17/1872 the first sprinkler system patent was issued to P.W. Pratt of Abington, MA. The world’s first sprinkler system was installed in the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane in the United Kingdom in 1812 by its architect Benjamen Wyatt, FSA. The system designed by William Congreve … [Read more...]