BRONX, NY: JAN 1, 1912 – Shortly after midnight, a fire broke out in a small wooden shanty in the lumberyards of Gates & Co. near Bedford Park Boulevard between the New York Central Railroad tracks and a row of frame dwellings that face Webster Avenue. Before the alarm was transmitted, flaming embers had ignited all seven homes and the sky was ablaze as the units rolled in. A second, then third alarms were quickly sent in as the fire raced across the lumberyards as well. Firemen flanked the flames and held them to the row of homes and the yard. The fire was under control in 90 minutes.
MARQUETTE, MI: JAN. 3, 1912 – The Miner’s National Bank at Ishpeming and the Negaune State Bank at Negaune, three miles apart, were both destroyed by fires that broke out at the same time. It was believed the fires were intentionally set. Losses were estimated as $15,000 at the first fire and $100,000 at the second fire.
TORONTO, ONTARIO: JAN. 3, 1912 – Two attempts were made to burn down the Globe Building within a half-hour period during the early morning. A member of the newspaper staff discovered the first fire as he was leaving the building. A fire had been set under a door and he and other employees doused the flames with an extinguisher. Twenty minutes later, smoke came up the rear stairway and another fire was found set in a storeroom. Luckily, the fire failed to gain any headway. Similar fires were also set in the Mall and Empire Building on Bay Street a short time later. Two fires were set inside that building and had gained some headway, but an aggressive attack by the Fire Brigade saved the building.
KINGSVILLE, TX: JAN. 4, 1912 – A fire at the famous King Ranch destroyed the main house. The huge, 1,250,000-acre ranch belonged to Henrietta King and was said to be the finest home in the southwestern portion of the United States. The ranch was founded by Captain Richard King in 1853 and is one of the world’s largest ranches. The King family and ranch were and are a big part of the myth and mystique of Texas.
LOUISVILLE, KY: JAN. 4, 1912 – It was the coldest night of the winter when a fire was reported on Fourth Street in the city’s financial district. The stores and stock of Abe C. Levi Co. and H.J. Gutman & Co. were destroyed, while the five-story building of the Swartz Co. was damaged. There was fire extension to adjoining buildings that housed stores and a newspaper. Across the street from the fire were two theaters filled with patrons at the time of the alarm. The 1,200 people inside the theaters exited without incident. It was said the firemen suffered greatly from the intense cold.
COLUMBIA, SC: JAN. 5, 1912 – An entire business block was wiped out by flames in the city’s most disastrous fire since the Civil War. The blaze started in the repair department of Gibbs Machinery Co. and spread quickly driven by stiff winds to adjacent structures. The Gibbs building and four others were destroyed, along with three homes and several stables. Five other companies suffered fire or water damages.
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA: JAN. 12, 1912 – A fire broke out in the dry goods establishment of William Minnis on Barrington Street and spread quickly. Fire extended next door into the five-story granite building, said to be the finest structure in the city, housing the Halifax Herald. The newspaper’s files and other important papers were saved, but the building was completely ruined. Other tenants in the Herald Building included Canada Life Assurance Society, the United States Consulate, St. Croix Lumber Co., Sun Life Assurance and Travelers’ Insurance. Flames also devoured a jewelry store, a clothing store and a home on George Street.
PHILADELPHIA, PA: JAN. 13, 1912 – An explosion occurred among films stored on the upper floors of the General Film Co. Building on Market Street between Ninth and Tenth streets. A second and third explosion spread the flames to the building next door. Before firemen could get a hoseline started, two large buildings were ablaze. Five alarms were sent in, bringing 30 engines with ladder trucks and high-pressure equipment to the scene. For hours, the firemen battled the flames, heavy smoke and the ice that was forming on everything. Nine firemen were injured before the flames were under control.
BIRMINGHAM, AL: JAN. 14, 1912 – A fire broke out in the Cable Piano Co. building and spread to Southern Bell Telephone building. Firemen battled the blaze for hours. One civilian drawn to watch the fire was killed as ran across the street and was struck by an automobile. The damages were estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
NEW HAVEN, CT: JAN. 14, 1912 – After responding to nine fires the day before, Chief Rufus Fancher, one of the oldest firefighters in New England, was rushed to the hospital in severe pain. It was determined by medical personnel to be appendicitis. The chief was immediately rolled into the operating room and emergency surgery was performed. The chief recovered quickly and was soon back at his post.
BOSTON, MA: JAN. 16, 1912 – It was just before 2 A.M. when a small fire started in the basement of The Revere House, an upscale hotel on Bowdoin Square. Built in 1847, it quickly became the city’s most prestigious hotel with such notable guests as Daniel Webster, Ulysses S. Grant and Charles Dickens. The fire was already in the advanced stages when it was discovered and was spreading upward through the elevator shafts. Heavy smoke and heat soon enveloped the five floors and attic of the building. Four alarms were transmitted as firemen were faced with a rapidly spreading fire inside a hotel filled with people and choking smoke. Ladders covered the building and scores of patrons were removed from the 300-room hotel. Firefighting heroism was in rare form as person after person was pulled from the fire and extraordinary efforts stopped extension to nearby buildings. The New York Times reported Fireman J. F. Kippenburger fell four stories from a ladder, landed on a picket fence and died on the way to the hospital.
OSAKA, JAPAN: JAN. 16, 1912 – Strong winds fanned a fire that swept across the southern half of the city at 1 A.M. It took until the late afternoon to bring the fire under control. During the first four hours, the fire burned 1,300 homes. In total, 5,268 buildings were destroyed, leaving 30,000 people homeless. (In 1909, a fire in Osaka killed 12 people and destroyed 11,365 buildings; see Rekindles, August 2009.)
