| Name | Alfred Papineau |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Fire Patrol |
| Age Range | 26 to 30 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 10/31/1886 |
| Cause of Death | Struck by object |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Post-incident |
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 10/31/1886 |
| Incident Location | Industry/ Manufacturing |
| Incident Attribute | Structural collapses , Fires |
On October 31, 1886, Alfred Papineau of the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol died in the line of duty following a structural collapse during an industrial fire on Madison Street.
The fire, which was confined to the top two floors of the four-story building, was largely extinguished when members of the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol entered the building. Papineau was one of six members of the Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol operating in the basement when the building’s chimney collapsed. The chimney broke through the burning roof and started a structural collapse that traveled down through the building and into the basement.
Papineau and two other firefighters were buried in the debris, and while the other two firefighters, who suffered serious injuries, were pulled from the wreckage within an hour, it took firefighters nearly twelve hours to recover Papineau’s body.
Citations:
“A Fight Against Death,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 1, 1886.