IFLODD: Firefighter Memorial


Firefighter Record

Firefighter Details

Name John Pyne
Agency Chicago Fire Department
Rank Lieutenant
Type of Firefighter Career
Age Range [Unknown]
Sex Male
Date of Birth 0/0/0
Date of Death 12/31/1904
Cause of Death Struck by object
Nature of Death Trauma
Attribute of Death [not applicable]
Type of Duty Firefighting operations

Incident Details

Incident Name N/A
Incident City Chicago
Incident State IL
Incident Date 12/30/1904 22:0
Incident Location Store/Office
Incident Attribute Structural collapses , Fires

Incident Summary

On December 31, 1904, Chicago Fire Department Captain Paul Ditt and Lieutenant John F. Pyne, both of Engine 67, died in the line of duty while fighting a commercial fire at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 40th Avenue.

Firefighters responded to the fire in the car repair shop shortly after 10PM on December 30. Around 11PM, Ditt and Pyne both suffered minor injuries when the two-story building’s north wall collapsed, but they kept working. Less than two hours later, the building’s south wall collapsed, and Ditt and Pyne were buried under debris for the second time that night. Both firefighters died within minutes of being pulled from the wreckage.

Funeral services for Ditt were held on January 2, and he was buried at Rosehill Cemetery.

Funeral services for Pyne were held at St. Mel’s Church on January 2, and he was buried at Calvary Cemetery.

Citations:

“Firemen Crushed by Wall; Two Killed and Two Hurt at Traction Repair Shop Blaze,” Chicago Daily Tribune, December 31, 1904.

Obituary of Capt. Paul Ditt, Chicago Daily Tribune, January 1, 1905.

Obituary of John F. Pyne, Chicago Daily Tribune, January 1, 1905.


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