Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Herman Peters |
| Agency | Macomb Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Volunteer |
| Age Range | 41 to 45 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 1/13/1871 |
| Date of Death | 7/31/1913 |
| Cause of Death | Fall , Contact/Exposure |
| Nature of Death | Trauma , Burns |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations , Hose operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Macomb |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 7/31/1913 18:0 |
| Incident Location | Industry/ Manufacturing |
| Incident Attribute | Fires |
Incident Summary
On July 31, 1913, Firefighter Herman Peters of the Macomb Fire Department died in the line of duty while fighting a multi-building industrial fire at the Western Stoneware pottery factory.
Peters and two other firefighters were operating a hose line on the roof of a factory building when they felt the roof structure weaken. His visibility obscured as he moved toward the ladder, Peters stepped onto a glass skylight and was fatally injured when he fell into the burning building.
A resident of Macomb for only five or six months, Peters was employed by the Macomb Sheet Metal Works. Before moving to Macomb, he had served for four years with Hose Company #4 of the Peoria Fire Department. A native of Peoria, Peters was survived by his parents and six siblings.
Citations:
“Burned to Death in Fire which Destroyed Pottery,” Macomb Journal, August 1, 1913.
Firefighter and Incident Images
