Memorial Walls Honors City's Fallen Black Firefighters
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Fire Department has dedicated a new memorial wall, honoring the city's first all-black firehouse.
WBBM Newsradio's Dave Berner reports Engine Co. 19, located at 3421 S. Calumet Av., was once Fire Company 21, the first African American fire company in the city.
"Engine 19 has an unbelievable history, and then when you go back to Engine 21, 1800s, all-black fire house," Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said. "Black firefighters, going all the way back to the 1800s, and they had responded to the most busiest fires throughout. It just wasn't documented right."
Friday morning, the Fire Department unveiled a memorial wall at Engine Co. 19, paying tribute to all members of Engine 19, Engine 21, and Truck 11 who have lost their lives in service of the city.
Firefighters with Company 21 helped fight the tragic Chicago Union Stock Yards fire in 1910, which killed 21 firefighters.
"Six of them in this house died at the Stock Yards fire," Santiago said of Engine 21.
The commissioner said the memorial was a long-time coming for the city, and more is planned, including a book about African-Americans who served as Chicago firefighters.
"It's really good that we can go ahead and capture this. We have to document these great things," Santiago said.