Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | John Minich |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 41 to 45 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 10/25/1952 |
| Cause of Death | Contact/Exposure |
| Nature of Death | Heat exhaustion |
| Attribute of Death | Smoke inhalation |
| Type of Duty | Search and rescue operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 10/25/1952 |
| Incident Location | Public assembly |
| Incident Attribute | Arson , Fires |
Incident Summary
On October 25, 1952, Firefighter John Francis Minich of the Chicago Fire Department collapsed during a hotel fire, shortly after rescuing several civilians from the burning building. He was taken to Ravenswood hospital where he was pronounced dead due to smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
The fire, located at the Argyle Hotel on Argyle Street, was started by an employee of the hotel who was angry about a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, a hotel resident. The employee later confessed to starting the blaze by setting two fires (one by igniting a stack of papers on the second floor of the hotel and the other by setting fire to a mattress in the second floor hallway) and was charged with arson and murder by arson.
Citations:
“Set off Fatal Fire in Hotel Says Cook, 29,” Chicago Tribune, October 26, 1952.
Firefighter and Incident Images
