100 Years Ago: Madison County Fire Losses Fuel Concerns During Fire Prevention Week

ALTON - An October 9, 1925, article in the Alton Evening Telegraph gave the statistics for fire losses of life and property in Illinois for the fiscal year ending June 20, 1925. Madison County ranked fourth for the amount of money lost to damage done by fire, following Cook County, Peoria County, and LaSalle County. St. Clair County was fifth. (The original Alton City Hall building burned down on April 22, 1924, and damages would not have been included in this fiscal year.)

In the state of Illinois, for the June 1924 - June 1925 fiscal year, a total of $26,148,908 in fire damages were reported. (That would be approximately $478,622,520 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) The statistics for fire loss last year in Illinois are available from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s 2024 Annual Report: $530,582,107 in property and contents loss. There were 142 people killed by fires in 1925 and 102 in 2025. The population has increased from over 6 million people in 1925 to over 12 million in 2025 (based on information in the 1920 and 2020 United States Census data).

In observance of Illinois Fire Prevention Week, which is always in October, State Fire Marshall John G. Gamber asked for cooperation and support from municipalities across the state. “While it is true that carelessness is responsible for most fires, it is also true that people can be made to be careful by proper local ordinance and regulations, rigidly enforced,” said Gamber. He pointed out that every community could regulate building construction, electric wiring, furnace installations, and other things which involve physical hazards and conduct regular inspections of all business properties so that dangers could be removed before serious damage was done.

As part of Fire Prevention Week, Illinois deputy fire marshals arrived in Alton to assist the fire department in safety inspections around the city. They set up their headquarters in Mineral Springs Hotel. Alton’s 1925 Fire Prevention Week passed without a single fire loss reported. Part of this was due to wet conditions – an article on October 17, 1925, mentioned that Alton Fire Chief William Feldwisch was “thankful for the recent rains,” which had kept the roofs damp enough that they did not catch fire from sparks when Altonians were starting up their heating plants and heating stoves for the cold season.

Special thanks to the Alton Fire Department, Godfrey Fire Protection District, and Fosterburg Fire Protection District for their work preventing and suppressing fires in our community and all the other ways they keep us safe. Thank you to the surrounding fire departments as well.

Sources

Highsmith, Carol M. “The Illinois Fire Museum in the Old Firehouse Building #7 on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair in Springfield displays antique fire service memorabilia, art work, equipment, and sculptures. The museum is home to one of the nation's largest collections of firefighter patches.” Springfield, Illinois, 2019. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-highsm- 59138https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2020721334/

Illinois. Office of the State Fire Marshal. 2024 Annual Report. Springfield, Ill: The Office, 2024.https://sfm.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/sfm/sfmdocuments/documents/publications/annual-report/osfmannualreport2024.pdf

“Inspection by Fire Marshals Started, Here.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 7, 1925.

“Madison 4th in Fire Losses in Fiscal Year.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 9, 1925.

“No Fires Here During Fire Prevention Week.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 12, 1925.

“One Thankful For Rains; He Is Fire Chief.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), October 17, 1925.

More like this:

100 Years Ago: Alton Dog Show Draws Crowd (and Dogs) From Across the Country

Mar 29, 2026

Large Brush Fire at Alton Materials

Mar 29, 2026

100 Years Ago: Famous Ventriloquist and Alton Native Dies

5 days ago

100 Years Ago: St. Louis Auto Show Fascinates Crowds and Continues Today

Mar 1, 2026

100 Years Ago: Ice Cream Meeting Turns Serious With Talks of Tuberculosis in Cow's Milk

Jan 25, 2026