The nine-story Butternut Coffee Company factory and an attached four-story building were both destroyed. The nine-story building was erected in 1908 and was constructed of heavy timber with wooden floors and brick walls. The building had a flat roof with a 32-foot water tower on top of it. The water tower was not in use, and had no water in it. It was left on the roof as a historic relic with the Butternut Coffee Company logo brightly painted on it. The 113,000-square-foot building was in the final stages of renovation into 138 apartments on the second through the ninth floors, with office and retail space planned for the first floor. A new sprinkler system was being installed and was about 95% complete, but was not in operation at the time of the fire. The four-story structure, measuring 83,200 square feet, was of ordinary construction with brick walls and a peaked roof. The two buildings were connected at various places on all four floors. The weather at the time of the fire was cold with snow and ice on the ground.
The Omaha Fire Department was dispatched at 11:19 P.M. to a reported fire at the Butternut Coffee Company factory at the corner of 9th and Jones Street. Engines 1, 2 and 3, all 1,250- gpm pumpers; Aerial 1, a 100-foot aerial ladder; Medic 1, an ALS unit, and Battalion 1 Chief Robert Bosiljevac responded with 19 firefighters. Firefighters on Engine 1, while returning to Station 1 from Station 3 where they had been on special assignment, were still 10 blocks away from the Butternut building when they could see a glow on the horizon. Engine 1 Captain Mark Ervin requested a second alarm at 11:21.
Engine 33 and 34, both 1,250-gpm pumpers; Aerial 34, a 100-foot aerial; Rescue 1, a heavy rescue apparatus; Rescue 32, a medium rescue apparatus; Paramedic Shift Supervisor Dale Fausset and Battalion 2 Chief Stephen Bosiljevac responded. Assistant Fire Chief Jack York was notified on the second alarm. He arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and assumed command.
Upon arrival at the scene, Engine 1 reported heavy fire visible on the ninth floor and the roof with indications of fire extending laterally to the west by the way of the elevator shaft on all other floors. Engine 1 was positioned southeast of the fire building at 9th and Leavenworth, and hooked onto a hydrant with 100 feet of five-inch line. Engine 2, positioned southeast of the fire building on 9th and Leavenworth, utilized 100 feet of five-inch hose from the hydrant and supplied a portable deluge monitor on the south side with two 200-foot 21¼2-inch lines and also operated its turret. Engine 3 was positioned northwest of the fire building, under the bridge on 10th and Jones, and hooked onto a hydrant with 50 feet of five-inch line. Aerial 1 was positioned southeast of the fire building on 9th and Leavenworth and placed its aerial master stream into operation onto the roof of the nine-story building being supplied from Engine 1. Medic 1 was positioned east of 9th on Leavenworth.
Battalion 1 Chief Robert Bosiljevac arrived on the scene at 11:22 and assumed command. A command post was established at the corner of 9th and Leavenworth. Ervin assumed the position of aide to Bosiljevac after a quick assessment of the circumstances and by mutual agreement of Bosiljevac and Ervin as to how to proceed. Knowing that the building was under renovation, there were no life-safety concerns and recognizing the advanced stage of the fire, a decision of no entry into the building was made. All apparatus were positioned outside the collapse zone, and a defensive mode of operations was declared.
Aerial 30, a 100-foot aerial, was dispatched on a still alarm between the second and third alarms. This unit was positioned on the north side, on Jones Street, and placed its aerial master stream into operation being supplied by Engine 3.
Bosiljevac requested a third alarm at 11:23. Engine 20, a 1,500-gpm pumper; Engine 40, a 1,250-gpm pumper; Aerial 21, a 100-foot aerial; Medic 2, an ALS unit, Safety Officer Battalion Chief Stephen Tyler and Battalion 3 Chief Kevin Laughlin responded.
A staging area was not established, as incoming apparatus were being assigned to positions as they arrived on the scene. Engine 34 was positioned under the bridge and was supplied from a hydrant with 300 feet of five-inch line. Crews laid two 150-foot 21¼2-inch lines to the sprinkler siamese at the north center of the four-story building from this engine. Aerial 34 was positioned on the 10th Street Bridge, near the center of the building, protecting exposures and covering the fire building. This aerial was supplied by Engine 20 with 900 feet of five-inch line from a hydrant at 10th and Jackson.
Engine 40 responded to the south side of the building on Leavenworth, and laid 150 feet of five-inch line from a hydrant and placed its turret into operation on exposures and the fire building. Rescue 1 and Rescue 32 were positioned on 9th and Leavenworth and used in readiness as the rapid intervention team. They also supplied special equipment needed by engine and aerial personnel, along with personnel accountability.
Paramedic Shift Supervisor Dale Fausset organized and maintained the rehab sector via personnel monitoring, utilizing Medic 1 and Medic 2 on the south side, at approximately 9th and Leavenworth. Battalion 2 Chief Stephen Bosiljevac, designated Sector Two, supervised placement and water supply capabilities of the assigned apparatus to fire operations from the west side, on the 10th Street bridge. Engine 33 was positioned just north of Jones on 9th Street, using 100 feet of five-inch hose to the hydrant on the northeast corner, and supplied Aerial 14 adjacent to and just west of Engine 33 with three 100-foot three-inch lines. This engine also supplied a portable deluge monitor with 150 feet of 21¼2-inch hose. Aerial 21 was positioned on the southwest corner on the 10th Street Bridge and supplied by fourth-alarm engine companies. Laughlin, designated Sector Three, supervised placement and activities of assigned apparatus to fire operations from the north side on Jones Street, from 9th to 10th Streets.
Special calls were made between the third and fourth alarms for Aerial 53, a 75-foot aerial; Aerial 9, a 100-foot aerial platform with a 1,500-gpm pump; and Engine 21, a 1,250-gpm pumper. Aerial 53 was set up on the 10th Street Bridge at the northwest corner. Engine 21 was positioned on the 10th Street Bridge and supplied Aerial 53. This engine also supplied a portable deluge monitor with 300 feet of 21¼2-inch hose located at the center of the building. This engine was supplied from a hydrant at 10th and Jackson with 800 feet of five-inch line. Aerial 9 was later placed on the north side of the building as a maneuvering aerial to help keep the north side fire in check. This aerial was supplied from a hydrant on 9th Street with a 500-foot five-inch line.
Battalion Chief Robert Bosiljevac requested a fourth alarm at 11:36. Engines 14 and 53, both 1,250-gpm pumpers, and Aerial 14, a 75-foot aerial, responded. Engine 14 was positioned below the bridge on Leavenworth and hooked onto a hydrant at 11th and Leavenworth with a 50-foot five-inch line. Crews hand laid 200 feet of five-inch hose up a bridge access stairway to Aerial 21 located on the 10th Street Bridge. Engine 53 laid 800 feet of five-inch line from a hydrant at 10th and Mason (one block south) up the 10th Street Bridge. This engine also supplied Aerial 21 with two 950-foot 21¼2-inch lines. Aerial 21 operated its master stream onto the fire building and exposures on the west.
The fire was declared a fifth alarm at 11:42 due to the amount of equipment and manpower committed at the scene. Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist arrived on the scene, monitoring and evaluating conditions as the fire reached its peak. He supported the decisions of his incident commanders and made appropriate adjustments as needed.
The fire continued to burn downward as the roof and upper floors collapsed beginning shortly after midnight. As the fire reached the fourth floor at approximately 2:30 A.M., it communicated horizontally to the adjoining four-story building. Engine 34 had already been hooked onto the four-story building’s sprinkler system with two 150-foot 21¼2-inch lines. Open fire doors and an inoperable sprinkler system allowed the fire to spread rapidly into this building.
York declared the fire under control at 9 A.M. on Jan. 8 – 91¼2 hours after the first alarm. Due to the extreme weather conditions, firefighters could operate for only short durations and required frequent rehabilitation.
At the height of the fire, 92 firefighters were on the scene operating seven aerials and 10 engines. Crews began breaking down late in the day on Jan. 8, leaving two aerials and three engines at the scene with 20 firefighters to extinguish hot spots. These crews were rotated every four hours. Firefighters remained on the scene until midday Jan. 14.
Damage was estimated at $30 million to $35 million. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. A team of 20 investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived on Jan. 12 to assist Omaha fire investigators in determining the cause of the fire. After a seven-day investigation involving over 200 interviews, it was determined that the most probable cause of the fire was related to the demolition activity that occurred several hours before the discovery of the fire.
Jay K. Bradish/IFPA, a Firehouse® contributing editor, is a former captain in the Bradford Township, PA, Fire Department. He has been a volunteer firefighter and fire photographer for more than 25 years.
