Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Hugh Murray |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Captain |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | [Unknown] |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 3/24/1864 |
| Date of Death | 7/23/1919 |
| Cause of Death | Stress/Overexertion |
| Nature of Death | Heart attack |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 7/23/1919 |
| Incident Location | Residential , Store/Office , Storage |
| Incident Attribute | Fires |
Incident Summary
On July 23, 1919, Chicago Fire Department Captain Hugh Murray of Engine 46 died in the line of duty while fighting a fire that swept through more than fifteen buildings near the intersection of 86th Street and Buffalo Avenue. The fire started when flames from a bonfire built by three children spread to a barn. The fire consumed the barn and a strong wind spread the flames throughout the neighborhood, destroying sixteen houses, a store, and a few small out buildings.
Engine 46 responded to the fire along with nearly every fire company on the south side of the city. Murray was fighting the fire from inside a burning building when he suffered a heart attack after he was overcome by smoke and other products of combustion. He was carried from the building and taken back to the Engine 46 firehouse, where he died from his injuries.
Funeral services for Murray were held at St. Patrick’s Church on July 26, and he was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Sixty firefighters from the Chicago Fire Department formed an honor guard for the services.
Citations:
“Fire Captain Dies on Duty,” Chicago Daily Tribune, July 24, 1919.
“Murray, Visitor at Many Wakes, Mourned at Own,” Chicago Daily Tribune, July 25, 1919.
Firefighter and Incident Images
