Chicago Union Stock Yards Fire
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The Chicago Union Stock Yards Fire occurred from December 22 to December 23, 1910 and resulted in the deaths of twenty-one firemen.
The fire, which broke out at Warehouse 7 of the Nelson Morris Company at the Chicago Union Stock Yards, was first reported on December 22 at 4:09 am. Half an hour later it was listed as a 4-11 blaze and within a few hours, more than thirty fire engines were battling the blaze. By the time the blaze was extinguished at 6:37 am on December 23, 50 engine companies and 7 hook and ladder companies had been called to the scene.
Twenty-one firemen, including Fire Marshal James J. Horan, were killed when one of the blazing buildings collapsed with them inside. Until Sept. 11, 2001, this was the deadliest building collapse in American history in terms of firefighter fatalities, though the Texas City Disaster of 1947 killed more firefighters. It remains the worst such incident in Chicago history.
In 2004, a memorial to all Chicago firefighters who have died in the line of duty was erected at the location of the 1910 Stock Yards fire. The memorial was created at the urging of Chicago firefighters, who helped to raise about 75% of the $170,000 cost of the statue. At the time it was dedicated, the names of 530 deceased firefighters were carved around its base.
Early film pioneer Freeman Harrison Owens filmed a newsreel of the fire and the firefighting effort.
