On the humid summer evening of August 28,1929, hundreds of people were settling in near the bandshell in the middle of Streator's City Park. It was something to enjoy on a Wednesday night under the trees of the park. Unbeknownst to them, business owner Thomas Kennedy was closing up his factory just two blocks to the North. On his way through the plant, Kennedy discovered a fire near the blacksmith's shop. Fed by varmished wood scraps and shavings, the fire was spreading rapidly. Fighting desperately, Kennedy emptied a fire extinguigher at the fire with no real effect. He then got out of the building and called the fire department.
The fire was discovered around 6pm and the firemen arrived around 6:10. The fire had quickly engulfed the interior of the building and was eating through the roof upon th arrival of the firemen. The roof collapsed at 6:15, dooming the building. Streator Fire Chief Frank Owen had at least three major problems. The out-of-control blaze in a residential neighborhood, low water pressure , and a large crowd which contimuously edged closer to the building. The firemen quickly set up hose lines around the factory, and ran hoses several blocks in all directions to get water to the scene. A hydrant directly in front of the building was unusable because of the radiant heat. As darkness fell, police tried to hold back thousands of people attracted by the thick smoke and flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. The city park was soon emptied as the lure of the fire took many of the patrons down the street.
Chief Owen made several trips around the building as the night went on, checking the condition of the building and the several hose crews surrounding the fire. The North side of the building worried him.There were three men assigned to a hose in the narrow alley between the two story factory and a house next door. They were Firefighter Charles Marx, and Volunteer Fire Fighters John Norris, and Fred Thomas. The three men were taking turns on the nozzle in the alley because of the tremendous heat. Owen had warned the men several times to back because the wal was starting to lean. The remains of the roof were leaning on the inside of the wall and the intense heat was weakening the entire structure. Marx was on the nozzle ,just a few feet outside a small fence in the alley, with Norris just behind him in a gateway in the fence. Thomas was just returning from a trip down the alley to warn the people to get back. Thomas had just gotten back to his position on the hose behind Marx and Norris when the wall suddenly collapsed outward into the alley. Thomas grabbed Norris and tried to pull him back through the fence, and Norris tried to yank Marx back but the falling bricks and debris had buried Marx instantly killing him.The roar of the collapse was followed by a few moments of deadly silence as the alley filled with burning debris, flames and smoke. The fire, now fed by an inrush of air,leapt out at the firemen and volunteers,digging in the alley to find the buried men. Hoses were quickly trained on the fire to give the rescuers room to work, many of whom suffered burns on ungloved hands trying to get to the men. Norris was found first when the dust and smoke cleared, just inside the fence. His head and one shoulder were sticking out of the pile,he was taken nearby where several doctors attended to him, but he soon died with several family members with him. Thomas suffered scalp injuries and a broken arm. Charles Marx died instantly. The fire was not declared out until the next day, with firemen remaining on the scene for several hotspots in the building.
An inquest was held and the deaths were declared to be accidental, based on the testimony of Chief Owen and several other witnesses to the collapse. Norris died two days before his 50th birthday. Marx a 19 year veteran of the department was 45. They are the only two men to die in the line of duty of the Streator Fire Department.
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