Joseph B. Willard, Wilmington, 6/17/1893 Firefighter Joe Willard
In the early morning hours of June 17, 1893, an alarm of fire was sounded at the Calder Brothers warehouse on South Water Street near Ann. During the fire, the roof along Water Street fell in, causing the top part of the wall to bulge out and fall. Joe Willard, a member of the Wilmington Hook & Ladder Company could not get out of the way of the falling bricks and was struck by the wall. Other firefighters were injured, but none as severe as Joe. He died at the scene. He had spent the previous evening with his friends and family, enjoying himself. When the fire bell struck, he said “I don’t want to go to the fire” but he went anyway, knowing it was his duty to go.
Firefighter Joseph B. Willard, Wilmington - Killed when a wall collapsed at an early-morning warehouse fire on Water Street. He was a member of the volunteer Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, and 25 years of age.
Source: https://legeros.com/
