Early the morning of October 24, 1919, Detroit Firefighter Felix Straub suffered severe smoke inhalation and was thought to be dying as the results of his efforts in fighting a fire in a 3 story building on Woodward Avenue.
The fire started in an elevator shaft and quickly moved throughout the building. The 2 lower floors of the building contained businesses and the upper floor used for lodging.
One 50 year old woman made her escape from the 3rd floor by sliding down a rope. Despite injuring her hands during the rope slide, she was able to save a boy from harm by catching him after his parents threw him to safety from a 3rd floor window. Unfortunately one man who lived in the building died while being transported to Grace Hospital.
Firefighter Straub’s condition improve dramatically throughout the day, and by the evening doctors pronounced him to be out of danger.
Follow up article from October 25, 1919 Detroit Free Press
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