Death In The Line Of Duty

Every year on August 28, an anniversary passes without much, if any fanfare. It is the day , 82 years ago , on which two Streator firemen lost their lives at a fire at the Kennedy Truck Body Plant.  They were buried by a collapsing wall in a narrow alley while manning a hose. They were stationed between the burning factory and the house next door trying to keep the fire from consuming the dwelling. There were 3 men taking turns at the nozzle because of the intense heat, which could be felt over a block away, according to newspaper accounts. Battleing low water pressure as well as the flames, the men were inching out into the alley from a small yard next to the house. Fire Chief Frank Owen warned the men several times to back up because the wall had a slight lean  because of weakened mortal due to the intense heat. Adding to the danger, the roof had collapsed and part of the wreckage was being supported by the wall, adding more pressure on it to fail.  The three men running the hose were Charles Marx, city fireman, and John Norris and Fred Thomas both volunteers.
     At the time of the collapse, Marx had taken over the nozzle with Norris and Thomas holding the hose behind him. Thomas saw the wall fall and tried to pull the others back through the gate of the fence. 50 feet of the two-story wall had given way and fell outward into the alley. Falling backwards, Thomas grabbed Norris and pulled him back, but couldn't reach Marx. As the wall collapsed the scene fell into chaos as bricks, flaming debris, dust and smoke blanketed the alley. With a new rush of oxygen and a small breeze the fire leapt at the pile of bricks that had buried the two men. Another hose team managed to beat back the flames, as a dozen volunteers and firemen attacked the pile to uncover the trapped men. Mr Norris was found first because his head and one shoulder were sticking out of the debris. Badly burned and suffering several broken bones, Norris lived for severl minutes, but died at the scene. Marx had taken the full force of the collapse and had died instantly. It took several minutes of digging through the red-hot bricks and debris to uncover his body. Most of the rescuers were working without gloves and sustained burned hands while moving the debris. Fred Thomas suffered from a broken arm and cuts and bruises from the flying bricks.  The fire was eventually brought under control and finally extinguished the next morning. The destroyed factory was eventually rebuilt,except for the part which had contained the collapsed wall. The factory was eventually torn down in the early 2000's. The site is now a vacant lot at the corner of Monroe and Broadway Streets. The house and the small yard survived the fire and remain standing. The fire department recently erected a memorial in front of the station dedicated to the rememberance of the two men and all of the Streator Firefighters who have passed away. Marx and Norris are the only two Streator Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.