Fatal Lyons school fire occurred 100 years ago
LYONS â At 5:15 p.m. Tuesday church bells will ring downtown, not for the upcoming Christmas holiday but for a more somber reason â the 100th anniversary of the Lyons Union School fire that killed two young girls and destroyed the school. It will be exactly 100 years to the time when a fast-moving blaze tore through the William Street building, trapping and killing 12-year-old Helen Baltzel and 13-year-old Elizabeth Burns. The fire ravaged the school building, causing $300,000 in damage, according to old news clippings. Another Lyons resident, Jacob Keller, also died â âov...
Source: fltimes.com