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Auburn Blaze Kills Firefighter Lt. Dwyer

On December 21, 1931, a fire broke out at the William H. Hislop store on Genesee Street in Auburn, New York. The incident began when a fire was reported in the basement of the Hislop Department Store shortly after 12:00 pm. Chief Fred Washburn requested all day and night personnel to assist at the scene as the fire quickly spread and affected the adjacent Richman Brothers building.

Around 1:00 pm, the gas boilers exploded, and walls began to collapse. Concerned that falling debris could damage firefighting equipment, D.M. Osborne requested help from the Syracuse and Moravia Fire Departments. These additional teams arrived shortly after 2:00 pm and began working on containing the blaze. During the rescue efforts, Fireman Bernard T. Shoots sustained head lacerations from falling debris, while Fireman John Mohan suffered a broken leg and an injured back.

After the smoke began to clear around 3:00 pm, Captain Bernard Rooney noted a piece of uniform protruding from under debris. Upon further investigation, the remains of Lt. Irving W. Dwyer were discovered buried beneath the wreckage. Chief Washburn coordinated recovery efforts, and Lt. Dwyer was pulled free and rushed to a hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after at 3:30 pm.

Lt. Irving W. Dwyer was a member of the Auburn Fire Department who lost his life in the line of duty while fighting the fire.

Source: Auburn NY Fire Department

Source Type: Fire

Source Location: Auburn

Dec 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM

Fire