In the Rochester Fire Department’s history that dates back more than two centuries, more than 65 firefighters have died in the line of duty. Some were killed battling fires — crushed by collapsing walls or chimneys, or falling from ladders. Others died in crashes while responding to emergencies. Several were electrocuted, and others suffered fatal heart attacks while working at fire scenes.
A number of firefighters later died from injuries or illnesses linked to their service. Below are notable line-of-duty deaths of Rochester firefighters, compiled by the Rochester Fire Department and the Democrat and Chronicle.
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Some deaths occurred before the city established a professional fire department in the mid-1800s, though organized volunteer firefighting in Rochester dates back to May 1826.
Rochester firefighting line-of-duty deaths
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Dec. 21, 1827 — Firefighter Thomas Rathburn, 25, was killed when a chimney collapsed at Peck’s Paper Mill on South Water Street.
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Aug. 26, 1840 — Firefighters George Benjamin and John Easton were killed while battling a fire in the Curtis Building on Main Street. A wall collapsed as they descended a ladder, burying both men.
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Nov. 21, 1857 — Firefighters Patrick Heavey, 25, and William Cleator, 20, were killed when a wall collapsed as they operated a hose line from a rooftop on East Main Street.
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May 4, 1867 — Firefighters John Pike, 51; Harvey Forscheler, 37; and Joseph Wernette, 25, were killed when a ceiling collapsed during a fire at Washington Hall on East Main Street, burying them in burning debris.
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Feb. 21, 1886 — Fire Chief Law Siddons Gibson died of pneumonia 11 days after being drenched in freezing conditions while fighting a fire on Chatham Street. He served as chief for 13 years, though not consecutively.
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Jan. 23, 1893 — Firefighters Joseph Byrne, 27, and Frederick Sackett, 26, were crushed by a collapsing wall while fighting a fire on Stone Street. Byrne died at the scene; Sackett died six weeks later.
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Dec. 17, 1894 — Firefighter Louis Rice, 37, was killed when two fire trucks collided as they responded to a call. He was thrown from his rig.
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Oct. 2, 1896 — Harry Austin, of the Protectives Volunteer Company, died after falling from a ladder while assisting at a fire at the Lamberton Building at Saint Paul and Andrews streets.
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July 2, 1899 — Lt. Frank Klueh, 35, was electrocuted while responding to a transformer fire on Liberty Street.
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Jan. 8, 1901 — Firefighters Edward Murphy, 32; John Slattery, 31; and George Long, 27, died from respiratory failure after exposure to nitric acid fumes during a chemical fire at Kodak Park.
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Jan. 28, 1902 — Lt. William Boon Jr., 28, was killed when a wall collapsed while he fought a fire at Rochester Screw Works on Caledonia Avenue.
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Oct. 12, 1902 — Assistant Chief William Boon Sr. died of a heart attack while responding to a church fire. His son, Lt. Boon Jr., had died 10 months earlier in a separate fire.
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Nov. 9, 1902 — Firefighter James O’Leary was killed when his truck overturned en route to a warehouse fire.
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April 27, 1905 — Lt. Theodore Fitzgerald died of smoke inhalation while searching for a fire in the basement of a State Street building. He had successfully entered once but died during a second attempt.
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Oct. 12, 1906 — Firefighter John Burke died from pneumonia contracted while fighting the Great Sibley Fire in February 1904.
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Nov. 9, 1907 — Firefighters John O’Brien, 36, and George Peartree Sr., 46, died after their truck crashed while responding to a call.
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Nov. 1, 1913 — Firefighter George Major, 32, was killed after being thrown from a fire engine in a crash.
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Dec. 6, 1913 — Firefighter Thomas Carmody, 47, died of a heart attack while responding to a fire.
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July 8, 1915 — Lt. Joseph Neidert, 32, was electrocuted while attempting to move a downed power line to protect nearby children.
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June 18, 1916 — Firefighter Alfred Gracey, 50, was crushed between a fire truck and firehouse doors while responding to a call.
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Feb. 26, 1919 — Firefighter Charles Byron, 53, suffered a fatal head injury after being thrown from a truck in a collision with a streetcar.
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Oct. 31, 1922 — Firefighters Thomas Sullivan and Edward Gommenginger died after their engine lost a tire and crashed into a bridge. Sullivan died the same day; Gommenginger died two days later.
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April 17, 1924 — Capt. Abraham Price, 50, died of a heart attack while fighting a fire.
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July 4, 1926 — Firefighter Patrick Donnelly, 35, was crushed beneath a fire truck responding to a call.
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May 4, 1930 — Firefighter Frederick Longmore died from pneumonia after rescuing two people from a fire the year before.
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Aug. 9, 1930 — Firefighter John Mahon, 35, died after being thrown from a ladder when a hose buckled during a fire.
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April 29, 1932 — Battalion Chief Charles Widdowson, 58, died of a heart attack at a fire scene.
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May 24, 1936 — Firefighter Jeremiah Coughlin, 38, died of smoke inhalation after being caught in a backdraft.
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Oct. 8, 1936 — Firefighter John McPartlin, 53, was overcome by smoke and gas fumes while fighting an attic fire.
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Nov. 22, 1937 — Battalion Chief Joseph Culligan, 53, fell from a ladder after being overcome by smoke. He died three weeks later.
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May 20, 1939 — Firefighter Adolph “Dutch” Wiemer died from injuries after falling from a ladder.
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Jan. 15, 1940 — Firefighter Henry Holburn died five days after being thrown from a fire engine into a bridge abutment.
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Oct. 7, 1940 — Firefighter Joseph Dansbach, 44, died of heart failure after battling a fire.
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Feb. 24, 1943 — Firefighter Henry Hoderlein, 60, died after falling into a grease pit and fracturing his skull.
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Dec. 29, 1943 — Firefighter William Wesley Smith collapsed and died after being overcome by smoke during a fire.
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March 15, 1944 — Firefighter William Long died after being thrown from a fire truck en route to a call.
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June 29, 1944 — Firefighter Ira Foote, 50, died of a heart attack after arriving at a fire scene.
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Feb. 6, 1946 — Firefighter Charles Dunbar, 64, collapsed and died while fighting a fire.
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Sept. 12, 1953 — Firefighter Alfred Long, 61, died from injuries sustained in a training fall.
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Nov. 29, 1953 — Firefighter Abram DeNagel, 50, died of a heart attack at a fire scene.
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Sept. 18, 1961 — Firefighter Lawrence Koen, 63, died of a heart attack while fighting a fire.
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June 3, 1962 — Lt. Elmer Adkins, 63, died of a heart attack at a fire.
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May 15, 1968 — Lt. Theodore Freed, 47, died from injuries sustained while fighting a fire.
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July 14, 1968 — Firefighter Joseph D’Ovidio, 47, died of a heart attack after a prolonged fire.
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Sept. 29, 1969 — Firefighter John Vadas, 59, died of a heart attack while fighting an arson fire.
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Jan. 6, 1978 — Firefighter Walter Hauck Jr. died from complications related to injuries suffered in a 1953 fire.
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Dec. 30, 1981 — Lt. William Nixon died of a heart attack after a fire.
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Sept. 12, 1986 — Lt. Bernard Spillman, 44, died after running out of air while searching for a fellow firefighter.
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March 10, 1987 — Firefighter Carmen Russo, 57, died of a heart attack after a fire.
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Feb. 3, 2004 — Firefighter Anthony Lambiase Jr., 42, died of leukemia linked to his service.
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Sept. 4, 2010 — Lt. Paul Skelly died after battling melanoma, a cancer associated with firefighting.
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July 2, 2011 — Walter Hauser, 62, died after years of health complications stemming from a 1981 fire rescue.
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Aug. 3, 2011 — Douglas Fair, 55, died after battling stomach cancer linked to his service.
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June 24, 2016 — Retired Capt. Stephen Erb, 60, died following esophageal cancer linked to his firefighting career.
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Sept. 21, 2022 — Elvis Reyes, 54, died from complications related to an on-duty injury after more than two decades of service.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:Rochester firefighters who died in the line of duty
