Palatine Salutes 40th Anniversary of Firefighter Line-of-Duty-Deaths
The Ben Franklin fire in 1973 is one of the great tragedies in Palatine history. Three firefighters lost their lives fighting it, and a memorial will be held Saturday to honor their sacrifice.
Saturday will mark 40 years to the day that three volunteer Palatine firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting a fire at a Ben Franklin store in downtown Palatine. The fire broke out in the early morning hours of Friday, February 23, 1973 at the store located on the west side of Brockway Street north of Slade Street, and quickly spread throughout the building. Volunteer firemen John Wilson, 40, who owned the Ben Franklin store, Warren Ahlgrim, 32, and Richard Freeman, 25, whose father owned Zimmer Hardware, all died from smoke inhalation as they fought the fire in the basement of the building. The Palatine Fire Department will host a memorial ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 23 at the corner of Brockway and Slade …
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