On 6/19/1867 nine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighters were killed “while operating at a major fire involving a theater, they were killed when they were caught under the collapsing front wall. In addition to the firefighters, three performers and three spectators were also killed.”
On 6/19/1897 an Iowa City, Iowa firefighter died at a fire in the university library. “During an early morning thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning struck the university library, setting fire to it. As the firefighter was operating a hoseline on the third floor, the roof collapsed. He was knocked unconscious and burned to death.”
On 6/19/1918 an Evansville, Indiana firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained after being electrocuted by a down power line. The Chief had been struck as the power line had fallen, and another firefighter that had gone to help the Chief also was struck by the downed line. A second firefighter rushed in to help both of the downed chief and the firefighter also came in contact with the powerline, his injuries proved to be fatal in the end.”
On 6/19/1922 a Portland, Oregon firefighter “was electrocuted. He entered a smoke-filled room and tripped on a light cord that wrapped around his neck when he fell. The wire was a common telephone type and sent 600 volts of electricity through his body.”
On 6/19/1967 a Decatur County, Kansas firefighter “was killed at a house fire in rural Decatur County when a chimney collapsed on him.”
On 6/19/1970 a Franklin, Pennsylvania firefighter was killed, and the other four men were injured at a chemical refinery fire and explosion. “As welders were working inside a condenser box at a chemical refinery, they set off a series of major explosions that killed them and rapidly engulfed four gasoline storage tanks in the center of the refinery. About three hours after firefighters began to battle the raging blaze, a large tank of crude oil exploded, followed by several smaller explosions of other tanks. Numerous firefighters were knocked down by the blasts and a pumper was caught in a wave of burning fuel oil. The firefighter and four of his crew were operating in the area of the tanks and were caught by the blasts.”
On 6/19/2021 an Icheon, South Korea “firefighter who was trapped in a fire that tore through a Coupang Inc. warehouse was found dead by rescue workers. He was found in the second-floor basement of the e-commerce giant’s four-story building, 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul after rescue workers resumed their search for the missing firefighter following a safety inspection of the building. The firefighter entered the basement around 11:20 a.m. Thursday with four of his colleagues to search for people caught in the fire that broke out earlier that morning. As the blaze began to spread, the four colleagues found their way out, while he stood at the back of the line to ensure they reached safety. A search for the firefighter immediately got underway but was suspended soon after as the fire engulfed the building and threatened to bring it down. By Saturday afternoon, the blaze had been brought under control, although it has not been fully put out. The inferno started in the second-floor basement and was thought to be under control several hours later. It quickly spread, however, as the flames jumped between large amounts of flammable packing material, including papers, boxes, plastics, and stickers.”
On 6/19/1977 a wildfire damages 15,000 acres, near Los Alamos, New Mexico.
On 6/19/1956 a fire burned off the roof and destroyed most of the top floor of a department store in the center of Boise’s (Idaho) business district.
On 6/19/1938 a flood in Montana killed forty-six people and seriously injured more than sixty when it washed out the train tracks.
On 6/19/1917 the three square blocks of the business section were destroyed by a conflagration in Ukiah, California
On 6/19/1908 the Mount Washington, New Hampshire Summit House, a two-and-a-half-story hotel, was destroyed by fire.
On 6/19/1900 the Bloomington, Illinois Courthouse and business section of the town were destroyed by a fire. “As every effort to check the progress of the flames proved futile, the blowing up of buildings with dynamite was resorted to after the fire had been raging for three hours and a half. A strong east wind prevailed, which made the work of the firefighters extremely difficult.”
On 6/19/1873 the business district of Burlington, Iowa was destroyed by a fire that started around 3:00 a.m.
On 6/19/1866 Virginia City, Nevada was destroyed by fire, and 400 families were homeless.
On 6/19/1897 a balcony collapsed in Black River Falls, Wisconsin injuring twenty who were watching a circus street parade.