Today in Fire History 1/18
On 1/18/1938 a fire at the Sacred Heart College in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, a small manufacturing city about 30 miles from Montreal, killed Forty-one boys and five priests around 2:00 a.m. The blaze spread rapidly trapping up to 100 occupants, several were injured. Fire operations lasted over 3 hours in near-zero temperatures. “The fire followed an explosion, attributed to coal gas, and almost instantly the 37-year-old four-story brick-joisted building was enveloped in flames. The building had wood interior construction with open stairs, no firestopping, and no interior cut-offs (passive fire protection). The heating was by an old hot air system not installed with modern safeguards. Iron fire escapes were provided on two sides of the building, these escapes were considered inadequate because of their location and arrangement. The building had standpipes and hoses, a manual fire alarm system, and two dozen portable fire extinguishers. The third and fourth floors were dormitories, where 96 boys of ages between 11 and 18 years and a few priests were sleeping. On the ground floor were sleeping accommodations for 26 priests and 5 employees… The St. Hyacinthe fire department consisted of 11 regular firefighters and 12 volunteers. Police officers also respond to alarms and assist in firefighting operations… The occupants, awakened by an explosion at about 2:00 a.m., were confronted by stifling smoke and flames coming from the ventilators into the dormitories. Almost instantly the exits were cut off by flames, and the outside iron fire escapes were cut off by flames coming from the windows. A few of the occupants escaped by crawling through the smoke to a metal chute fire escape. Others rolled themselves in their bedclothing and jumped from upper windows into snowdrifts. None of the occupants had an opportunity to dress, and those who did escape suffered severely from the 8 below zero temperature before they could find shelter. The top floor dormitory housed 43 of the smaller boys. Priests directed these boys down an outside fire escape to the roof of another section of the building. From this point, the boys were urged to jump into the snowdrifts below, but most of them, too frightened to jump, remained on the roof until it collapsed a short time later. Most of the persons on the ground floor escaped… Attempts of firefighters to enter the building were blocked by bolted doors, as the building was customarily locked early each evening. So complete was the destruction of life and property that only eight of the 46 victims could be identified when removed from the ruins.”
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On 1/18/1885 in Kankakee, Illinois a fire at the “Eastern Illinois State Hospital killed seventeen of the 45 patients being treated at 4:00 a.m. The fire started in the south infirmary, a detached ward, over the furnaces and was drawn through the building by a network of flues along the halls and stairs. Attendants began to evacuate the 24 patients who were housed on the first floor but encountered an unexpected difficulty including the extremely cold (12 degrees below zero) weather. Meanwhile, smoke from the fire was filling the second floor of the building, where 21 patients, most bedridden and seriously ill, were located. The 17 victims, ranging in age from 22 to 60 years of age, apparently died from inhaling the thick, toxic smoke that traveled up from the basement. Examination of their remains in the building wreckage indicated that most were overcome while still in their beds.”
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On 1/18/1856 a Fall River, Massachusetts firefighter died while firefighters “were fighting a fire that destroyed a furniture and stove store. A man in a horse-drawn sleigh approached the scene, suddenly, the horse reared up and ran into a crowd. The firefighter was run over in the uproar and critically injured. He was taken to his home, where he died a short time later.”
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On 1/18/1924 a Minneapolis, Minnesota firefighter slipped from an icy roof while fighting a fire in a two-story house at 1916 2nd Avenue South. His injuries in the fall resulted in his death an hour later.
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On 1/18/1925 an Indianapolis, Indiana firefighter “found light smoke coming from a vacant building at 2944 North Clifton Street. The firefighter who had just returned to duty after a three-week illness entered the structure in an attempt to locate the source. A short time later, he exited the building and collapsed. All attempts to revive him failed and he died while en route to the hospital.”
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On 1/18/1935 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter died at Box # 66-303, 32 Grand Street after he was overcome by smoke inhalation and burns while operating at a fire. The fire was started by an overturned oil stove in a second-floor apartment.
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On 1/18/1940 a Minneapolis, Minnesota firefighter died while working a fire in the Spruce Villa apartments, 1365 Spruce Place. He fell through a fire weakened floor into a blazing apartment before he could be rescued. He died from burns and asphyxiation.
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On 1/18/1971 a Milwaukee, Wisconsin firefighter was asphyxiated at a duplex-dwelling fire at 2437 North 1st Street. “While wearing a filter-type Burrell mask the firefighter became overcome by smoke and died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. An investigation into his death revealed that the masks were designed to operate in an atmosphere of only two percent carbon monoxide; however, it was discovered that many fires were giving off as much as six percent. These findings resulted in the discontinued use of the filter masks and the purchase of additional self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).”
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On 1/18/1972 a Maywood, Illinois firefighter “died operating at a fire.”
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On 1/18/1981 a Lehigh Acres, Florida firefighter died from smoke inhalation
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On 1/18/1981 a Cincinnati, Ohio firefighter “died as a result of internal bleeding due to a ruptured spleen, which occurred when he was struck by a hose coupling while operating at a fire on January 15, 1981.”
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On 1/18/1996 a Cairo, Georgia firefighter “died while fighting a structure fire. The firefighter was ventilating a house fire by breaking the windows with a fire hose. After he had ventilated two windows, he turned around and collapsed. EMS was called, and he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
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On 1/18/2022 a woman died and seven others were injured after a fire and collapse at a Bronx, New York home. “The incident happened just before 11:00 a.m. on Fox Street near Intervale Avenue in the Longwood section of the borough. A 77-year-old woman died in the incident. An 82-year-old woman is in critical condition. A 68-year-old woman was injured but is in stable condition. Five police officers were taken to Lincoln Hospital for smoke inhalation. Authorities suspect the fire was caused by a gas explosion. Con Edison shut down gas in the immediate area. The FDNY said the fire grew to two alarms.
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On 1/18/2015 four workers escaped from a truck fire in a railway tunnel above Ngauranga Gorge near Wellington, New Zealand around 2:45 p.m.?
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On 1/18/2011 a 12’’ high-pressure natural gas pipeline exploded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania killing one person and injuring five others, and sending a fireball 50 feet high in the air in the Tacony section of the city. Firefighters were called at 7:20 p.m. because of an obvious smell of gas, around 7:26 they called for hazmat crews and observed gas bubbling through the pavement, then the gas main blew. The gas company shut off the gas so that firefighters could battle the fire, by 10:30 p.m. the fire appeared to be dying down and it was officially under control just before 11:00 p.m.
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On 1/18/1927 a three-alarm fire destroyed the Mitchell Brothers building at West Water Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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On 1/18/1923 the Elon, North Carolina College Administration Building burned to the ground in an early morning fire that gutted the three-story building.
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On 1/18/1916 the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport, Mississippi was destroyed by fire. The jury in a murder case narrowly escaped.
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On 1/18/1910 the Herman Nelson Shipyard was destroyed by fire in Orange, Texas.
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On 1/18/1912 British explorer, Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole to find Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, who had preceded them by over a month
On 1/18/1862 President John Tyler died
On 1/18/1778 Captain James Cook became the 1st European to discover the Hawaiian Islands.