Aurora Fire Department, family of fallen firefighters remember deadly downtown blaze of 1934

Jan. 12--For years, the Reiss family lineage has steered clear of becoming a firefighter.

Their grandfather Capt. Herbert Reiss was one of three firemen to die in the line of duty in a downtown Aurora fire in 1934.

But at the memorial ceremony Friday marking the 85th anniversary of the fatal blaze, Reiss' granddaughter Bonnie Guyer had news to share: her grandson is now studying fire science.

"We've all sort of steered clear and said 'I'm not ready to do that,' but it's been broken," Roger Reiss said.

Fire Capt. John Petersohn, Reiss and firefighter Charles Hoffman were remembered Friday at a now-vacant lot that is currently under construction to become a park.

"I would much rather there be a building and a dime store here than a park," fire Chief Gary Krienitz said. "It was a tragic loss that the city of Aurora suffered that day. This will be a beautiful park and memorial though."

The Aurora Fire Department's most devastating loss took place Jan. 11, 1934 at a Woolworth five-and-dime store located at 19-21 Broadway Street.

Crews were called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. that fateful day. One hour in, firefighters actually thought the blaze was under control, as they were pouring water through skylights in the roof, officials have said. Without warning, flames shot through the skylights and the roof collapsed, followed by a muffled blast that blew out the entire front of the building.

Firefighters became trapped under the burning debris and rubble, and Hoffman, Petersohn and Reiss did not escape.

Hoffman's great-nephew Donald Wampach said they found Hoffman underneath the sidewalk the next day because the roof had caved in.

"It is important to think about what these men do. They have long hours, and they never know if they are going to come back when they head out," Wampach said of firefighters.

For the Reiss family, they did not talk about the fire until later on in life.

"We've gone to the fire museum to get some of the facts," Richard Reiss said. "We learned very little about it as children, as it was an event my father chose to forget. It was devastating to the family."

Herbert Reiss' children were split up among family members because his wife could not afford to have them all -- with no insurance or pensions at the time, Richard said.

"I'm really proud of this heritage that we didn't really understand and know too much as kids," Richard Reiss said. "But it makes you proud and thankful that people volunteer as firemen."

Over the years, fighting fires has changed drastically, particularly due to the equipment worn, like air packs and protective gear, Krienitz said.

"We learn from all these experiences and learn about fire behavior and how buildings collapse and building construction," Krienitz said. "We try to prevent this from happening and we don't want to lose firefighters lives so we try to do our job and prevent this from happening."

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