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The Janesville Fire Department has had two firefighters die while fighting fires in the last 82 years. The last time was over fifty years ago.
On November 11, 1959, William Finnane died after a wall collapsed on several firefighters in a fire at the Schlueter Company, 112 E. Centerway. On March 2, 1925, Ed Lichtfus fell from a roof while fighting a blaze at 410 S. Locust St.
This photograph of firefighters placing a wreath on the grave at William Finnane's funeral is from "Century of Stories: a 100-year Reflection of Janesville and Surrounding Communities", p. 129. See also entry for 11-11-1959 on page 131.
According to our Local History Database, the June 21, 2007 issue of The Janesville Gazette has the story on page 7A. Visit our Local History web page or Ask a Librarian for assistance.
Janesville's Past, our online collection of photographs, includes older photographs of other disasters in Janesville's history.
posted by sb 7/12/2011
