On the afternoon of Friday, February 5, 1915, an alarm summoned the Shreveport Fire Department to the Henry Enders Furniture Company on Texas Street. Upon arrival, firefighters found fire showing from the rear portion of the building’s second floor.

Shreveport firefighters W.A. Brown, P.M. Hunt, L.L. Lay, and C. Hilburn climbed a ladder together, advancing a hoseline to the metal awning above the first floor of the building. The surface was slick and unstable beneath their boots as they worked overhead.

At one point, Crayton Hilburn lost his footing. As he began to slip, he instinctively reached out for anything to steady himself. Tragically, his hand closed around a live electrical wire. The current struck him instantly.

Hoseman P.H. Hunt was only steps away when Crayton slipped and made contact with the live wire. He instinctively moved to help but quickly realized the danger—Hilburn was still gripping the wire with his left hand. Firefighters below shouted urgent warnings not to touch him, fearing Hunt would be electrocuted as well.

In a split second, Hunt searched for a way to reach him safely. Seeing an opening, he grabbed hold of Hilburn’s pant leg and pulled with all his strength, trying to break his contact with the wire. As he did, Hunt was mildly shocked himself. Despite the jolt, he pulled Hilburn free from the wire and back onto the awning.

It was a desperate act in the midst of chaos—one firefighter fighting to save another.

Hunt lifted Crayton and carefully made his way down the ladder. Each step was deliberate, the weight in his arms far heavier than gear alone.

Once on the ground, Captain Gus Jollif rushed to help. Together, they carried Crayton across the street, away from the fireground, to a safer place where he could receive medical attention.

Firefighters quickly placed a pulmotor into service—the earliest type of mechanical resuscitator available outside a hospital. Under the supervision of doctors who responded to the scene, they worked tirelessly for two hours, refusing to give up. Every effort was made, every measure taken, as they fought to bring their fellow firefighter back.

Around 9:00 pm, despite their relentless efforts, the heartbreaking realization set in that there was nothing more that could be done. Crayton could not be revived.

Across the street, a large crowd gathered in anxious silence, watching firefighters and physicians work side by side, waiting for any word of Crayton’s condition.

Not long after Firefighter Crayton was pulled to safety, danger struck again overhead. The metal awning, already weakened by heat and weight, began to give way beneath another firefighter.

Firefighter Abrams suddenly broke through between the supports, the awning collapsing under him. In a terrifying instant, he was falling to the pavement 15 feet below. Two nearby firefighters reacted without hesitation, grabbing hold of him before he could plunge through. They pulled him back onto the awning, rescuing him from what could have been another devastating loss.

Abrams was then carefully moved to a place of refuge, where his injuries could be evaluated and treated.

The crowds eventually dispersed. The fire was extinguished. But for the Shreveport Fire Department, February 5, 1915, would never simply be another call.

That night, a firehouse returned with an empty space—and a family faced a loss that would forever change their lives. Beyond the uniform and the helmet was a husband, son, and father, a man whose absence would be felt far beyond the fireground.

His fellow firefighters fought for him with the same determination they brought to the fire itself. They risked their own lives to reach him. They worked for hours to save him. And even as tragedy unfolded, they continued to protect one another, pulling another firefighter from the brink only moments later.

Crayton’s death was not just a loss to the department—it was a loss to his family and to the city he served. More than a century later, his story endures as a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond shared among those who answer the call.