Today in Fire History 10/20

On 10/20/1944 “a natural gas “spill” and fire in Cleveland, Ohio killed 130 and injured 225 when a cylindrical tank failed and released the contents into the nearby streets and sewers that promptly ignited. A second tank toppled over about 20 minutes later releasing 9,400 gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that ignited; the accident was due to the low-temperature embrittlement of the inner shell of the cylindrical tank.” “The East Ohio Gas Company explosion and fire took place on a Friday when a tank containing liquid natural gas equivalent to 90 million cubic feet exploded, setting off the most disastrous fire in Cleveland's history. Homes and businesses were engulfed by a tidal wave of fire in more than 1 square mile of Cleveland's east side, bounded by Saint Clair Avenue NE, E. 55th Street, E. 67th Street, and the Memorial Shoreway. White vapor began leaking out of Storage Tank Number 4, which had been built by the East Ohio Gas Company in 1942 to provide additional reserve gas for local war industries. The gas in the tank, located at the northern end of E. 61st Street, became combustible when mixed with air and exploded at 2:40 p.m., followed by the explosion of a second tank about 20 minutes later. The fire spread through 20 blocks, engulfing rows of houses while missing others. The vaporizing gas also flowed along the curbs and gutters and into catch basins, through which it entered the underground sewers, exploding from time to time, ripping up pavement, damaging underground utility installations, and blowing out manhole covers. The immediate area surrounding the burning district was evacuated and refugees were sheltered in Willson Jr. High School on E. 55th Street where the Red Cross tried to care for approximately 680 homeless victims. By late afternoon Saturday, much of the fire had burned itself out, electricity was restored in some areas, and the next day a few residents began returning to their homes. The fire destroyed 79 homes, 2 factories, 217 cars, 7 trailers, and 1 tractor; the death toll reached 130. The fire and subsequent analysis of its cause led to new and safer methods for the low-temperature storage of natural gas.”

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On 10/20/1860 a Perth, Ontario, Canada firefighter “died from injuries after being struck in the head at a church fire.”

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On 10/20/1918 a Detroit, Michigan firefighter “died from a skull fracture sustained after a wall had collapsed on him while fighting the Water Works fire.”

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On 10/20/1964 a San Francisco, California firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained while operating at the Tin Yan Jan Sausage Company fire, at 1041 Stockton.”

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On 10/20/1985 a Bronx, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died from the injuries he received on October 11. The fire at 634 Prospect Avenue was on the fourth floor. While operating on the fourth floor, he sensed the ceiling was about to collapse. He pushed two of his men into the hallway, but the burning ceiling came down on him, trapping him. Before he could be pulled out sixty-five percent of his body was burned. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.”

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On 10/20/1986 an early morning fire at 506 Reynoir Street, Biloxi, Mississippi killed two firefighters in a two-story, wood-frame building originally built as a single-family dwelling, but had been converted into a seven-unit apartment building with numerous combustible concealed spaces in the walls and above the second-floor ceiling. The electrical fire originated in a joist space between the first and second floors in a concealed combustible wall cavity and spread to the attic. The house was improperly drawing a portion of its electricity from a wire strung to an adjacent home… “The severe fire burning in the concealed space created an extremely dangerous condition, which the firefighters were attempting to remedy.? Unknown to others, two firefighters entered the building without a hoseline and subsequently died in a second-floor bedroom.? Both were equipped with full protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus.” “While fighting the blaze, one firefighter air tank ran low but the alarm on his tank didn’t sound to alert him. When the second firefighter saw the first firefighter go down, he ran to help and threw his helmet out a window, a firefighter’s last means of alerting the others of distress. Nobody saw it. The two firefighters perished in the blaze, one trying to save his brother in uniform.”

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On 10/20/1991 in Oakland California, a firestorm killed twenty-five, including a police officer and a firefighter, injured 150 people destroyed 2449 homes, and 437 apartments, burned 1600 acres, an estimated 1.5 billion dollars in damages, and took 4 days to control. “During a raging wildfire and ensuing firestorm, which burned out of control for two days, an Oakland firefighter was electrocuted while attempting to shield a woman from a falling power line. The Oakland police officer was killed when a wall of flame swept over him as he tried to lead four people to safety.”

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On 10/20/2009 three people were killed in a home fire in Henrico, Virginia.

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On 10/20/1973 an early morning fire killed two of the 250 guests and spread throughout the first floor of this two-story motel causing severe damage. There was a 35-minute delay in notifying the fire department. The fire started in a guest room and spread by burning through the plywood-on-wood-stud walls; wood wall coverings and combustible ceiling tiles contributed to the fire spread in the corridor.

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On 10/20/1873 the International Association of Fire Chiefs was founded in Baltimore Maryland.

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On 10/20/1728 the Copenhagen, Denmark conflagration destroyed most of the city.

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On 10/20/1977 near Gillsburg, Mississippi a twin-engine airplane low on fuel crashed and killed six, including three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, and injured twenty others while attempting an emergency landing; the propeller-driven Convair 240 crashed into a swampy area eight miles short of the McComb airport after reporting "having fuel trouble or was running low on fuel,"

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On 10/20/1964 President Herbert Clark Hoover died after suffering for days from a massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage, 90-year-old Herbert Hoover died in Suite 31-A of New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

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On 10/20/1944 General MacArthur returned to the Philippines.