Red and White Big House

January 14, 2003 - LODD
Captain Joseph Rotherham, 46
Springfield Fire/Rescue Department. Springfield, IL
Joseph was operating at a structure fire on East Iles Avenue at 1:30AM. He exited the structure to change his bottle and collapsed. He was treated by EMS on scene and transported to St. John's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

January 10, 1905 - LODD
Chief G.F.W. Schevers, 45
Springfield Fire Department. Springfield, IL
Chief Schevers died in the line of duty when his fire wagon collided with a train while responding to a fire alarm. The accident occurred around 9:30PM, as Chief Schevers was driving the wagon with two passengers at the intersection of Seventh and Madison Streets. Due to the darkness and heavy snow, he did not see the train until moments before the collision. Already traveling at considerable speed, Chief Schevers tried to turn the horse to run parallel to the train, but the wagon skidded and smashed into the side of the train engine. As the wagon came apart, one firefighter was thrown clear, and another was able to grab onto the train engine’s handrail, but Chief Schevers was caught under the train and was dragged for several hundred feet until the train could be stopped. Incidentally, Chief Schevers had been hit and dragged by a streetcar a few weeks earlier, and he had been thrown from his fire wagon in a different traffic accident the day before the collision with the train. Chief Schevers was unconscious when the other firefighters reached him, and he was immediately rushed to St. John’s Hospital. Doctors tried to revive him, but he succumbed to his severe injuries one hour later. He was survived by his widow, three sons (one a firefighter riding in the fire wagon at the time of the accident), and one daughter.

Update: Crews were able to access the attic space of the garage and get a knockdown of the fire. Ventilation is being started. Initial attack of the fire was hindered by hoarder conditions inside the garage.

Crews are enroute to a structure fire in the 4200 block of S 3rd St. Report of a detached garage on fire. E11 is first on scene.

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