In celebration of its sesquicentennial, the Milwaukee Fire Department is delving into its archives, unearthing a timeline of formative incidents that shaped its service to the community. Yesterday, in particular, seems historically fraught with blazes, demonstrating the persistent need for vigilance and response from the local firefighters, as declared in a recent social media post by the Milwaukee Fire Department.
As the Milwaukee Fire Department commemorates its 150-year journey, it recalls incidents like the 1889 fire at Falk, Jung & Borchert Brewery and the cataclysmic 1974 fifth-alarm fire at 1426-36 E. Brady Street in the George Miles Building, among many other fires on Independence Days past, which not only recount the history of the department but also underscore the nature of fire fighting embedded in the city’s narrative. When duty called, the firefighters responded despite the holiday festivities potentially impacting their response on a day when the skies typically illuminate with celebratory fireworks and not the ominous glow of conflagrations…