If there was a significant fire or emergency that occurred 100 years ago in your department, or your department's 100th anniversary is coming up, please drop us a line for possible inclusion in "Rekindles" in an upcoming issue.
July 4, 1897: CHICAGO Across the nation, people were celebrating the Fourth of July. A number of accidents occurred but none as devastating as the mixture of fireworks that ignited stored gasoline here. The ensuing explosion blew out the front wall of the building at 5613 Jefferson Ave. and injured three civilians. One fireman was overcome by smoke during a rescue attempt.
July 6, 1897: REVERE, MA An early-morning house fire indirectly caused the death of a prominent neighbor. The sounds of the fire and noise of arriving firemen awakened Dr. L.B. Holbrook, a physician who ran outside to see what all the commotion was about. As the firemen went about the business of extinguishing the fire, the doctor was taken back home feeling ill. He died as a result of a heart attack a short time later.
July 8, 1897: LONDON A small fire broke out in Buckingham Palace and the Fire Brigade promptly responded. Assembling guests arriving for a gala ball were asked to wait until the fire was extinguished. As the firemen took up their hoses, the palace staff swept into the fire area and cleaned and redecorated. The reception of guests was quickly resumed and the Royal Ball was delayed only a matter of minutes.
July 11, 1897: NEW ROCHELLE, NY Just after services had ended in the Methodist Episcopal Church, a sexton was lowering a chandelier when the rope snapped. The crashing fixture held a number of kerosene lamps that soon ignited seat cushions and quickly spread to the entire church. The church was located just outside the city limits and by the time an engine was on the scene the church was a total loss.
July 13, 1897: JERSEY CITY, NJ A fire broke out in the rear of a bakery on Coles Street just after 4 A.M. and quickly spread upwards and to nearby structures. The three-story wood-frame structure housed apartments above the bakery. As firemen extinguished the flames, some people jumped from above. A search also located a number of people unconscious on the upper floors. Two children perished as a result of being overcome by the deadly smoke.
July 15, 1897: BERLIN A large building fire destroyed nearly a quarter of a million dollars' worth of dresses and other women's wear destined for American markets. The blaze on the Hausvoigtoi-platz resulted in major losses for two clothing companies.
July 25, 1897: RICHFIELD SPRINGS, NY The Richfield House, the principal hotel in this resort town, was destroyed by an early-morning fire. Among the guests driven from the four-story structure were New York City Mayor William L. Strong and his family, who were vacationing. The village fire department made a valiant attack on the fire and a telegram was sent to the Utica Fire Department asking for help. The fire was battled for hours before the flames and smoke finally got the better of the firemen.
July 27, 1897: YONKERS, NY Six hundred men and women narrowly escaped a blaze that raced through a hat factory on Elm Street. The fire was started by an exploding gas meter in the cellar and soon filled the area and began spreading. An alert building engineer gave an early warning that allowed most of the people to exit the structure before the flames reached the stairs. With everyone accounted for, firemen began to battle the flames in earnest when the building's boilers began exploding. This drove the firemen back and toppled the building's walls.
TIME CAPSULE
Binghamton, NY, Clothing Co. Fire: July 22, 1913
Flames swept through a four-story brick building on Wall Street in Binghamton, NY, just after 5 P.M., trapping many clothing company workers inside. In a scene reminiscent of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City two years earlier, many young women were trapped by flames and chose to jump from the upper floors of the building. (The 1911 Triangle fire killed 150 women and men.)
The Binghamton fire may have been started by a cigarette discarded under the staircase of the brick-and-joist factory building and spread with amazing speed, catching many of the women unaware above. Reports stated that fire alarms were sounded but because the system was new and had been tested so often in previous weeks, the workers ignored the bells and continued sewing. Street alarm boxes distant from the building were pulled first, sending units to the wrong location.
Arriving firefighters found conditions beyond their ability to control. The radiant heat was so severe that they even had difficulty approaching the building. Would-be rescuers had to wait for wind shifts before attempting to dash up to the building to pull away from those who had jumped and lay injured on the sidewalk.
The building collapsed within 20 minutes and firemen faced the grim task of cooling the rubble before they could begin to recover the more than 50 people who had perished in the inferno. Numerous other buildings, including the post office, caught fire, due to the tremendous heat generated.
Compiled by Paul Hashagen
