Palatine to honor firefighters killed in 1973 Ben Franklin fire

The Palatine Fire Department will host a public ceremony Monday to honor three volunteer firefighters who died in a 1973 fire. The brief ceremony, held each year, begins 9 a.m. at the Palatine Firefighters Memorial at the corner of North Brockway and West Slade streets. The department's Honor Guard will present a wreath and ring bells to pay tribute to firefighters John Wilson, Richard Freeman and Warren Ahlgrim. The trio were on the first hose line battling a blaze in the basement of the Ben Franklin store in downtown Palatine 42 years ago on Monday.