Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Arthur Stiers |
| Agency | Kankakee Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 41 to 45 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 12/17/1921 |
| Cause of Death | Struck by object |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | Equipment failure |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Kankakee |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 12/17/1921 6:25 |
| Incident Location | Residential |
| Incident Attribute | Basement fires , Fires |
Incident Summary
On December 17, 1921, Kankakee Fire Department Firefighter Arthur A. Stiers died in the line of duty while fighting a basement fire on North Greenwood Avenue.
Firefighters received the fire alarm at 6:25AM and the two fire companies that responded found a burning barrel of paper and kindling near the basement furnace. Stiers helped deploy an eight-gallon chemical fire extinguisher by connecting it to a hose line that ran through a window and down to a firefighter inside the basement. When Stiers turned the valve on the extinguisher to release the chemicals, the copper tank exploded with tremendous force. The extinguisher tank struck Stiers in the head and torso as it shot several feet up into the air, and he was killed instantly.
Stiers had been a member of the Kankakee Fire Department for ten years, and he and his wife lived in an apartment above the Fire Company 1 headquarters. Funeral services for Stiers were held at Hertz Funeral Chapel on December 20, and he was buried at Mound Grove Cemetery with members of the fire department serving as pallbearers.
Citations:
“Fireman Killed Instantly,” Kankakee Daily Republican, December 17, 1921.
“Funeral for City Fireman is Tomorrow,” Kankakee Daily Republican, December 19, 1921.
Firefighter and Incident Images
