| Name | John MacKinnon |
| Agency | Amboy Fire Department |
| Rank | Chief |
| Type of Firefighter | Volunteer |
| Age Range | 56 to 60 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 2/9/1933 |
| Cause of Death | Stress/Overexertion |
| Nature of Death | Heart attack |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations , Hose operations , Water supply operations |
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Amboy |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 2/9/1933 |
| Incident Location | Public assembly |
| Incident Attribute | Fires |
On February 9, 1933, Chief John C. MacKinnon of the Amboy Fire Department suffered a fatal heart attack in the line of duty.
In the evening hours of February 9, MacKinnon responded to a fire at the historic Keefer Hotel in Amboy with the rest of the Amboy volunteer firefighters. He was directing the change of a hose line after exiting the smokey building, because the hydrant closest to the fire was frozen. The hose was redirected to a hydrant a block east from the burning structure, though once the closer hydrant thawed, the line was redirected back to it. MacKinnon walked east to close off the hydrant left open, but on his way back to the scene he collapsed face down in the snow. He had died instantly of a heart attack and his body was taken to the Vaughn Mortuary.
Funeral services for MacKinnon were held at the Masonite Temple at Amboy on February 12, and he was interred at Prairie Repose Cemetery. He was survived by his widow, three sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren.
MacKinnon worked as general manager of the Amboy Milk Product Company, served on the Amboy City Council, and was a member of the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission committee for Lee County.
Citations:
”Prominent Amboy Man Stricken Dead at Fire,” Dixon Evening Telegraph, February 10, 1933.