Today in Fire History 1/28

On 1/28/1986 the Challenger spacecraft exploded 73 seconds into its flight killing all seven crew members after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed. The Challenger disaster occurred over the Atlantic Ocean, in U.S. waters, off the coast of central Florida, at 11:39 a.m.

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On 1/28/1961 nine Chicago Illinois firefighters died while battling a warehouse fire at 614 Hubbard Street. “The fire started on the upper floors of the seven-story warehouse, located in a railroad yard in a heavy industry area. The warehouse stored bakery supplies for the Hilker and Bletsch Company and frozen foods for the P and P Blueberry Packing Company. Immediately adjacent to the warehouse was a two-story building containing one-gallon tin containers for packaging and storing food. The warehouse fire burned for some time before it was noticed by nearby railroad workers. By the time the fire department was contacted, receiving the first alarm at 6:23 a.m., flames were already bursting through windows in the warehouse. Within twenty minutes, the alarm was raised to a 5-11, followed by a special alarm. The additional alarms brought in 316 firefighters, 67 pieces of apparatus and equipment, four ambulances, and three rescue squads. Nearby fireboats also responded to the incident to pump water from the Chicago River. A Battalion Chief led several firefighters onto the roof of the adjacent two-story building in an attempt to run a hose into the burning warehouse. Without warning, the adjoining warehouse wall suddenly collapsed onto the smaller building, burying the team in the debris. Firefighters raced to dig their comrades out of the rubble and, as they were pulling injured firefighters out of the wreckage, the roof of the smaller building collapsed, trapping both the initial victims and several rescuers. With flames still blazing over their heads and even more firefighters now trapped, rescuers used portable chainsaws to cut through the wreckage and shored up the debris in an attempt to dig a ten-foot shaft to the trapped victims. The weather, with temperatures hovering just over zero degrees, also wreaked havoc on the fire department’s response efforts. Because of the water used in the firefighting operations, the area surrounding the warehouse was quickly covered in water and ice; equipment was frozen in place. The flames were eventually extinguished later in the day, but the ruins continued to smolder for several days. After hours of digging, firefighters were able to recover the remains of all of their fallen comrades. In the end, nine firefighters were killed, and fifteen firefighters were injured.”

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On 1/28/1977 the three-story Stratford Hotel fire in Breckenridge, Minnesota killed sixteen people. “The fire’s cause was never determined but theories and rumors at the time included electric heaters coming into contact with clothing or other material, a cigarette left burning near combustible materials, or arson, though a suspect was never identified. One theory suggests that the deadly blaze on that frigid winter morning was caused by a chimney fire in the basement, which had a coal-fired furnace that had been converted to natural gas. The hotel was one of three buildings in the city that were on interruptible service. At times of high demand, their gas service would be shut off and they would use alternative methods for heating. Temperatures overnight dropped to -20, with -40 to -50 wind chill, according to reports. The hotel was burning coal in the furnace, and there was either a breach in the chimney or the chimney got red hot, and the coal dust ignited. Linseed oil used on all the wood floors, banisters, and paneling inside the hotel acted as an accelerant and the flames quickly spread throughout the building. The occupants didn’t stand a chance. Firefighters from surrounding towns were called to assist, including Wahpeton, Fergus Falls, Wheaton, and Mooreton. Firefighters fought not only an out-of-control blaze but frigid temperatures which hampered their efforts at every turn. Water pumps froze up and became unusable, frostbite took hold of any exposed skin, and “mountains of smoke hid the hotel for minutes at a time.” When the heat from the fire melted the ice on the hoses and surrounding snow, it created slush which mired down the firefighters and their equipment. About 90 minutes after the fire began, sections of the 69-year-old brick walls started tumbling down “with a sickening roar, showering tons of rubble onto Fourth Street and Minnesota Avenue.” The fire continued to burn after three hours, and the interior walls and floors had all collapsed into the basement.

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On 1/28/1978 the “Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the historic Coates House Hotel. Initial arriving units reported heavy smoke and fire showing from the six-story U-shaped apartment building with multiple occupants trapped inside. The 92-year-old structure was occupied by transients during this period. The single-digit temperatures caused ice buildup, disabling aerial ladders, and causing handline nozzles to freeze, significantly hampering the efforts of fire crews. The fire resulted in 20 fatalities. Two key factors contributing to the severity of this fire were open stairwells and a non-functioning fire alarm system. Significant changes came to Kansas City in the wake of the fire including stricter fire code enforcement, specifically fire alarm systems, an emphasis on public fire prevention activities, and firefighter training… Although the Coates House Hotel was an elegant landmark at the turn of the century, the hotel had deteriorated over the years; at the time of the fire, it was occupied by transients and elderly people in low-cost rooms, was inadequately heated, and was in general disrepair. It served primarily as a short-term apartment complex for transients who paid a weekly rate of $12… The hotel measured 143 feet by 180 feet and was U-shaped with one main stairway serving all floors. Another stairway at the east end of the south wing was reportedly open, with no cutoff between floors. It was along this stairway that the fire is believed to have spread; this stairway was destroyed in the fire. The stairs reportedly were open or had non-fire-rated doors. On the upper floors, a masonry wall was provided between the main corridor and stairs, with two labeled, metal, self-closing fire doors at openings. The top-floor access to the main stairway consisted of a single door that opened against the direction of exit travel. The only other way out of the building was by open metal fire escapes located at the east ends of each wing and the north and south ends of the main corridor. Access to the fire escapes was through windows and required climbing over windowsills to reach the fire-escape balconies. The fire escapes were not protected against fire in the hotel. A fire on the lower floors could render the fire-escape stairs impassable before the occupants on the upper floors would have time to use them… The ground and first floors of the hotel were mostly vacant. The first floor had suffered fire damage at an earlier date and had never been repaired for occupancy. The second through fifth floors of the building were occupied by approximately 150 to 200 guests on the night of the 1978 fire. Fifty single rooms were located on each of the upper floors. The larger suites of the original hotel layout had been subdivided at some time to form single rooms about 9? feet by 18 feet. All of the 220 rooms had high ceilings… A fire alarm system was provided, but the extent of coverage could not be determined following the fire. There were no pull stations observed in the building, and apparently, the only means of activating the alarm system was on the first floor at the hotel clerk’s desk. Investigators also could not determine if the fire alarm system covered all the floors. There was no evidence of emergency lighting systems or illuminated exit sights on any floors, and no air-conditioning or ventilating systems. The building lacked fire sprinklers and a smoke or heat detection system tied to the fire alarm system… The desk clerk turned on the building heat at about 3:45 a.m., the outside temperature was 6 degrees F. At approximately 3:50 a.m. someone came down the stairs and reported a fire on the fourth or fifth floor. The clerk called the hotel manager, and the manager instructed him to call the fire department. The Kansas City Fire Department received a telephone report of the fire at 4:12 a.m. First-alarm companies were dispatched, and the apparatus arrived at the hotel within three minutes after notification. By that time, the upper floors of the hotel were untenable. As the battalion chief arrived at the fire, he could see heavy smoke on the top floors of the south wing; people were hanging out of windows, and heavy fire involvement on the fourth and fifth floors extending down the entire south wing… The walls began to buckle due to the intense heat and pieces of the wall began to fall. The south wall collapsed, sending ignited debris into the air. Approximately 25 persons were rescued by aerial ladders from the fourth and fifth floors on the east side of the building, and at least seven persons were rescued from the fire escapes. Approximately 150 persons were rescued or evacuated by firefighters, policemen, and some occupants who assisted. The south wing was almost destroyed by the fire, and the areas that remained were razed in the process of recovering bodies. Twenty residents perished in the inferno. Several of these victims chose to jump from the fifth or sixth floors of the building rather than face the flames.”

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On 1/28/1966 a large gas explosion and fire at the Hotel Paramount in Boston, Massachusetts on Washington and Boylston Streets in the Theater District killed eleven and injured more than fifty just after 6:30 p.m. on a cold winter night. The fire quickly spread trapping guests on the upper floors; at least ten people rescued were by ladder.

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On 1/28/1854 a Buffalo, New York firefighter died “while operating at a factory fire. He climbed a ladder to the third floor with a hoseline. In the darkness and dense smoke, he fell into the basement through an open hatchway in the floor, and was killed.”

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On 1/28/1901 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died of smoke inhalation while operating at a very stubborn single-alarm cellar fire. Many other firefighters were also overcome by smoke.”

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On 1/28/1907 the eight-story Columbia Building at Seneca and Wells Streets in Buffalo, New York killed three firefighters working on the roof when the structure collapsed trapping them under tons of ice-coated debris. “On arrival, a third alarm was struck immediately when firefighters found an eight-story multi-occupancy factory heavily involved in fire. Sub-freezing temperatures hampered firefighting efforts, and at the height of the blaze, a collapsing wall buried a score of men. Rescuers worked for hours in heavy icing conditions and under the threat of secondary collapses to rescue their trapped comrades. Three men died in the collapse and many more sustained serious injuries.”

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On 1/28/1927 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died of gas asphyxiation, and many other firefighters were overcome by illuminating (natural) gas and smoke while operating at a fire in a five-story tenement at 22 Mangin Street.”

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On 1/28/1932 a Cambridge, Massachusetts firefighter “died as a result of injuries sustained while operating at a three-alarm church fire.”

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On 1/28/1933 a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained after a building collapse at 240 N Front Street.”

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On 1/28/1941 a Queens, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died as a result of injuries he sustained the previous day after he fell from a roof while operating at an alarm.”

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On 1/28/1947 a Saint Paul, Minnesota firefighter died from asphyxiation at a fire in a fourplex, at 1003 Grand.

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On 1/28/1959 two East Peoria, Illinois firefighters died at the Green Gables Tavern fire. “At 9:45 p.m. an alarm was sounded at the Green Gables Tavern at 808 Meadow Avenue for a fire in the structure. Employees and patrons had noted a burning smell for some time but were unable to locate a source. Initial reports from the scene indicated a small amount of visible fire from the front of the structure with heavy smoke on the second floor. Suddenly an influx of heavy, dark, and excessively hot smoke followed by an explosion that pushed the two firefighters back from the door. The two firefighters were trapped in the structure by the explosion and subsequently lost their lives to the fire.”

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On 1/28/1981 a Los Angeles, California firefighter died while operating at a fire in the Cugees Restaurant, 5300 Lankershim Boulevard, in North Hollywood. “Firefighters found heavy smoke with some fire showing in the interior of the restaurant. Because a backdraft explosion was a distinct possibility and because the smoke had to be cleared to begin a meaningful fire attack, ventilation procedures were begun on the roof. Four members of Truck 60 were cutting a hole near the center of the roof when, without warning, it began to sink beneath their feet. As the roof sank, it fell at a steep angle, slowly and agonizingly pulling the firefighter to his death.”

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On 1/28/1985 a Reading, Pennsylvania firefighter died while operating at a building fire. “On arrival, firefighters found fire and smoke showing from the first floor of the six-story brick commercial building, housing offices and a YMCA on the bottom three floors, and apartments from the fourth floor up. Firefighters started evacuation, search, and rescue operations and began to stretch hose lines. Firefighters found an occupant in the second-floor stairwell and started to lead him down to the lobby. Suddenly, a flashover occurred in the first-floor hall and raced up the stairs to where the three firefighters and a civilian were coming down. Two firefighters managed to escape the stairwell with serious burns, but one firefighter and the civilian were unable to escape and were incinerated in the stairwell. Also killed were two other civilians who were caught in the flashover on the first floor.”

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On 1/28/1990 two Danville, Virginia firefighters died at a house fire on Guilford Street. “Three firefighters become disoriented and lost while performing fire suppression at a house fire on Guilford Street. All three firefighters were found and removed from the structure and taken to the emergency medical service (EMS) area outside of the incident where despite life-saving measures two succumbed to their injuries. Both deaths were due to smoke inhalation.”

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On 1/28/1994 two Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighters “died when they became trapped and overcome by smoke by a rapidly moving fire in the basement of a church. Several firefighters re-entered the church to rescue the firefighters and were able to pull one of them from the basement. Eight other firefighters were injured, including several involved in the rescue efforts.”

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On 1/28/1995 a Stoughton, Massachusetts firefighter “died when he was caught in a flashover while searching for victims on the third floor of a rooming house.”

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On 1/28/2021 a “liquid nitrogen leak at a northeast? Hall County, Georgia (near Gainesville) poultry plant killed six people, and multiple others including four firefighters were injured. Firefighters responded to the leak after 10:00 a.m. at Prime Pak Foods. “Once the units arrived, they found a large contingent of employees that had evacuated, along with multiple victims that were in that crowd that was also experiencing medical emergencies around the facility," Poultry plants rely on refrigeration systems that can include liquid nitrogen.”

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On 1/28/1984 a suspicious fire that started in the furnished lounge area on the 7th floor of the 14-story Howard Johnson's Hotel in downtown Orlando, Florida seriously injured three of the approximately 300 guests, with thirty-five to forty guests on the floor of origin, and caused minor injuries to thirty-one other guests and four firefighters around 1:51 a.m. The rectangular-shaped 14-story precast, reinforced concrete construction with a built-up roof hotel tower was built with guest rooms opening onto a 170-foot central, east/west 1-hour fire-rated exit access corridor, with enclosed stairways at each end and midway an intersecting 29-foot corridor providing access to a bank of three elevators and a furnished lounge area. The fire alarm system had manual pull stations located near each stair, corridor smoke detection, and single-station smoke detectors in the guest rooms. It is believed an accelerant had been “poured” into the elevator lounge and ignited; combined with combustible furnishings there was sufficient heat to buckle the elevator shaft doors allowing smoke to spread to upper floors via the elevator shaft. The fire ignited electrical cable insulation in a vertical raceway 19’ from the point of origin permitting vertical fire to spread to the 8th and 9th floors through the raceway.

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On 1/28/1931 a father and six children ranging in ages from 4 to 17 died in a Powys, Pennsylvania farmhouse fire near Williamsport that is believed to have been started by an overheated flue in the kitchen.

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On 1/28/1924 two buildings at the State Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri was destroyed by a fire that may have started near one of the big chimneys in Baldwin Hall. “Erected in 1873 and has long been regarded as a fire trap,” the fire extended to Library Hall in the afternoon blaze.

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On 1/28/1908 the Nelson Morris & Company Packing Plant in Kansas City, Kansas was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin that started in the canning department on the second floor.

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On 1/28/1908 five buildings were partly destroyed by fire at Wabash and Michigan Avenues and Madison and Monroe Streets in Chicago, Illinois. Elevated and surface car traffic was interrupted.

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On 1/28/1889 the Opera House in Duluth, Minnesota was destroyed by a fire at 2:00 a.m. that started in the basement and extended to the Post Office. There were five stores and numerous upper-floor tenants in the Opera House Building including the Chamber of Commerce.

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On 1/28/1884 a fire that originated in a store on Main Street extended to the harness shop in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The families that lived in the stores were displaced.

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On 1/28/1873 the National Theatre fire in Washington, DC started in the flue heating pipe that burst at 11:00 a.m. as rehearsal began. The fire rapidly spread. The adjoining Imperial Hotel was slightly damaged.

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On 1/28/1857 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the Girard Building was destroyed by a fire at about 11:00 p.m. that started in the third story of the large five-story structure.

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On 1/28/1907 the Phelps Publishing Company in Springfield, Massachusetts comprising four brick buildings burned to the ground. The fire was “caused by spontaneous combustion among benzene-soaked rags in the basement of the building.” “About 450 persons are out of employment” until the plan was rebuilt.

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On 1/28/1884 the Thompson's Box Factory on Hepburn Street and Canal in Williamsport, Pennsylvania was damaged by a fire that started in the shaving room and planing mill between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m.

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On 1/28/1980 in Tampa Bay, Florida the 180-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorne, a buoy tender, sank in a collision with an oil tanker that killed twenty-three

11/28/973 the Vietnam War the cease-fire went into effect at 8:00 a.m. Saigon time (midnight on January 27, Greenwich Mean Time).

On 1/28/1917 the U.S. ended the search for Poncho Villa after 11 months

On 1/28/1855 the 1st train crosses the Panamanian isthmus carrying thousands of unruly miners to California.

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On 1/28/1915 President Woodrow Wilson signed an "Act to Create the Coast Guard" that combined the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service to form the modern-day U.S.C.G. The Coast Guard is under Title 14 of the United States Code, which states: "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times." Upon the declaration of war or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates under the authority of the Department of the Navy