| Name | Charles Hoffman |
| Agency | Aurora Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 41 to 45 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 8/8/1893 |
| Date of Death | 1/11/1934 |
| Cause of Death | Struck by object |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations |
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Aurora |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 1/10/1934 23:30 |
| Incident Location | Store/Office |
| Incident Attribute | Structural collapses , Fires |
On January 11, 1934, three firefighters from the Aurora Fire Department died in the line of duty while fighting a commercial fire in a Woolworth’s Five and Dime store on Broadway Street. Captain Herbert L. Reiss of No. 4 Company, Captain John Petersohn of No. 5 Company, and Firefighter Charles Hoffman of No. 5 Company were crushed to death when an exterior wall of the store collapsed.
The fire was reported around 11:30PM on January 10, and the entire Aurora Fire Department responded to the alarm. Firefighters attacked the fire from both the street level, and from the roofs of nearby buildings that were adjacent to the three-story, burning store. More than an hour after firefighting operations began, the roof of the building collapsed. The front exterior wall of the building collapsed outward shortly thereafter, and six firefighters were buried in the debris.
Uninjured firefighters immediately began search and rescue operations for their trapped colleagues, but the fire grew at a rapid rate. Fire Chief Lloyd Gramely soon refocused the firefighters on suppression efforts, and called in mutual aid firefighters from Naperville, Elgin, and Batavia. Once the flames were under control, firefighters were able to successfully rescue injured firefighters from the debris, but Reiss, Petersohn, and Hoffman had been crushed to death.
Petersohn joined the Aurora Fire Department in 1911, and served with No. 6 Hook and Ladder Company until he resigned in 1917. He rejoined the department in 1923 as a firefighter with No. 1 Company. In 1926, he was promoted to lieutenant of No. 5 Company, and in 1931 he was promoted to captain. He was survived by his widow, three children, and four siblings.
Reiss joined the Aurora Fire Department in 1916, and served with No. 6 Hook and Ladder Company. He was transferred to No. 1 Company in 1918, and in 1924 he was promoted to lieutenant of No. 4 Company. Following the line of duty death of No. 4 Company Captain Barney Weiler in 1929, Reiss was promoted to captain. He was survived by his widow, three children, six siblings, and his mother.
Hoffman joined the Aurora Fire Department in 1923 and served with No. 5 Company until his death. He was survived by his widow, one child, five siblings, and his mother.