Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | John Bohanan |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Pipeman |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 31 to 35 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 12/4/1899 |
| Cause of Death | Struck by object |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations , Hose operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 12/4/1899 20:0 |
| Incident Location | Industry/ Manufacturing |
| Incident Attribute | Structural collapses , Fires |
Incident Summary
On December 4, 1899, Chicago Fire Department Pipeman John Bohanan of Engine 7 died in the line of duty while fighting a 4-11 alarm industrial fire on West 21st Street between Loomis and Throop Streets.
The fire started in the drying room of the John A. Gauger & Company and Hardy Brothers & Foley molding manufacturers, and spread quickly throughout the two-story factory. Bohanan and another firefighter were operating a hose line inside a shed adjacent to the burning building when the factory’s east wall collapsed. Excessive smoke limited their visibility, so the firefighters were unaware of the collapse until thousands of bricks flattened the shed and buried them under the debris. Firefighters successfully extricated Bohanan from the rubble, but he died while being transported to Cook County Hospital.
Citations:
“Wall Falls on Firemen,” Chicago Daily Tribune, December 5, 1899.
Firefighter and Incident Images
