Today in Fire History 1/30

On 1/30/1976 at 11:30 a.m. an arson fire at the Wincrest Nursing Home, 6326 N. Winthrop Avenue Chicago, Illinois killed twenty-three that started in a wardrobe closet in room 306. The building was occupied by eighty-three residents and a staff of sixteen. The room of origin was completely gutted, and the adjacent corridor sustained moderate smoke and heat damage; 3 other rooms had some heat and smoke damage. Smoke traveled down the corridor and entered rooms where doors were left open. Smoke damage was not evident on the second or first floors of the 3-story building. “The original nursing home was a 2-story 1,906 square foot (177 m2) brick building, a second building was added in 1959 to the rear which included a garden. The addition increased the size of the complex to 5,179 sq ft (481 m2). The addition was built with precast concrete floor and roof slabs connected to steel beams and columns. In 1966, the brick building was demolished and replaced by a three-story building; a third floor was added to the 1959 addition. The expansion project created a 9,466 square-foot (879 m2) footprint. In 1973, a third building was added with a 10 ft (3 m) corridor connecting to the existing building complex. The third building also consisted of three floors and had a floor area of 3,613 sq ft (336 m2). The construction of the third building consisted of precast concrete floor slabs and a metal roof deck on steel bar joists. All of the buildings were covered with a ? inch of fire-rated plasterboard… The nursing home complex only had two stairways. The first stairways are located in the first building, near the lobby. The second stairway was located in the second building. Both stairway doors had wire mesh windows and were operated by hydraulic door closers. The complex had one elevator located in the first building across from the lobby stairway. The exterior walls were brick and concrete blocks surrounded by gypsum board. The interior walls were covered with gypsum board… All of the patient rooms, lounge areas, and chapel on all three floors had a natural ventilation system (open windows). The restroom areas, the enclosed garden area, nurses' offices, and other rooms in the building were ventilated by heaters, air conditioners, and ceiling fans… The nursing home was equipped with a manual and automatic fire alarm system that was connected directly to the fire alarm office of the Chicago Fire Department. The manual fire alarm system consisted of two pull fire alarm boxes located on each floor and one fire alarm box located at the entrance of the building. The automatic fire alarms were activated by heat sensors which are located on the third floor, in both stairways, and in the storage closet. The automatic fire alarm system also consisted of smoke detectors. On the third floor, three fire extinguishers and two public address loudspeakers were installed… The fire was reported in room 306 by a nurse's aide who pulled the fire alarm box. The alarm was received by the Chicago Fire Department at 11:43 a.m.? Attempts to extinguish the fire by staff failed. The first fire engine arrived at the scene of the fire 3 minutes and 40 seconds later as nursing home staff evacuated the burning building. At 11:46 a.m., firefighters fighting the fire discovered the third floor heavily charged with smoke and trapped elderly patients in wheelchairs. The victims were immediately removed from the burning building and were transported to nearby hospitals… The fire was out at 1:28 p.m. The room of origin was completely gutted and the adjacent corridor sustained only moderate smoke and heat damage. Three other rooms also suffered heat and smoke damage. No smoke damage was evident on the second or first floors and water damage was minor. Despite the minor damage to the building, 23 fatalities were reported due to smoke inhalation.

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On 1/30/1959 a fast-moving fire at the Glen Ellyn Acres Nursing Home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a suburban Chicago, killed nine people of the twenty patients and seven employees in the 65-year-old two-story mansion with 19 sleeping rooms and two large recreation halls. Many of the victims became trapped when the roof collapsed. The assistant fire chief of Glen Ellyn, died of a heart attack shortly after he arrived at the flaming home.

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On 1/30/1951 a fire at the McClary convalescent home in Hoquiam, Washington killed twenty-one helpless welfare patients all over 60 years old in a two-story wood-frame structure with only one interior stairway, after the fire started in the basement clothes drying room and spread rapidly through the wooden building. “Thirteen bodies were removed from the charred ruins of the rambling, two-story structure. Seven died from burns after their rescue, and another died of a heart attack. Some perished trying to reach windows or an inside stairway, the only escape from the second floor. Ten residents were cremated in their beds. The fire traveled from the basement clothes drying room to the second floor while the aged residents of the home, many too ill and feeble to move, lay in their beds awaiting lunch. Fourteen were trapped in the flames and suffocating smoke that licked and billowed up stairways and air vents.”?

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On 1/30/1921 a fire at the Hotel Colonial, 39-41 Newark Street Hoboken, New Jersey, left twelve dead of the ninety-five occupants in the four-story forty-six guest room structure. Except for a few broken windows, there was little hint of the tragedy. The fire started in Room 12, occupied by a couple that left the hotel for the evening, and extended to the linen room generating a great deal of smoke and toxic gases. The desk clerk rang (called) every room to notify the guests of the fire.

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On 1/30/1918 seven London, England, United Kingdom firefighters died while fighting a fire in a warehouse. “The fire, which broke out at 3:44 a.m. at a three-story cattle food manufacturers warehouse on Albert Embankment, is remembered as one of the darkest incidents in the history of the London Fire Brigade. While not a particularly big blaze, conditions were difficult due to dense fog and heavy smoke. Six firefighters were all killed by falling debris when the front of the building collapsed.? One firefighter was severely injured and later died in St. Thomas's Hospital.”

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On 1/30/1888 six buildings were destroyed by fire in New York, New York, and one firefighter was killed. The fire started in a store at 549 Broadway, a five-story iron front double building, on the west side between Prince and Spring Streets and extended through Mercer Street in the early morning.

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On 1/30/1902 a Toledo, Ohio firefighter died of injuries received at Henry Rosen’s Junk Warehouse fire, Vance & 13th Street

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On 1/30/1942 a San Francisco, California firefighter died of the injuries he sustained while operating at the McAllister Auto Sales fire at 1200 Van Ness.

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On 1/30/1958 a New Castle, Delaware firefighter died from the injuries he sustained after being caught in a chemical explosion.

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On 1/30/2007 a propane explosion at the Little General Store in Ghent, West Virginia killed two responders and two propane workers after escaping propane filled the store while attempting to transfer the propane into an outside storage tank that was located under the soffit of the store. “The propane gas service for a local convenience store was being transferred from one provider to another. Service technicians from the new provider were at the store to install the new propane tank, transfer propane from the old tank to the new tank, and establish service for the store. At 10:42 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to the report of a gas leak at a local convenience store. Upon arrival on the scene, firefighters found an uncontrollable propane leak. Firefighters reported seeing a billowing cloud of vapor or mist that was striking the eaves of the building and traveling along the ground. An evacuation was begun. An explosion occurred at approximately 10:53. Two firefighters and two gas company employees were killed in the blast. Five other people received serious injuries, including a third firefighter, who succumbed to his injuries May 16th, 2010.”

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On 1/30/2021 firefighters battled a four-alarm fire in a historic arcade building on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. “The fire started around 7:40 a.m. at Playland’s Castaway Cove, billed as the area’s “oldest amusement park.” Confronted by a fast-developing fire fanned by strong westerly winds, firefighters from eight area fire departments kept the flames from spreading to adjoining exposed buildings. Crews were hampered by sub-freezing temperatures and water supply issues. Strong winds blowing from the west actually aided in limiting the damage by pushing the fire toward the beach and away from the exposures. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control in two hours and there were no reported injuries. The Playland Castaway Cove arcade building was located directly on the Boardwalk in the area between East 10th Street and East 11th Street. The one-story arcade building was flanked by several entertainment and concession stands on both Side Bravo and Delta with Side Charlie connected to a large open area of rides and amusements. Side Alpha provided direct access from the wood-decked iconic Boardwalk. A wide beach and the ocean were directly opposite the Boardwalk. The building had an interesting history as it was originally erected for the 1940 World’s Fair in Queens, New York. After the fair, the structure was disassembled and rebuilt on the Ocean City Boardwalk the following year. The building had a heavy timber barrel vault truss roof, this unique roof configuration can be seen in several of the attached photos. Arriving fire crews found flames quickly moving through a building structure that included Playland's Castaway Cove arcade and offices, the Hamburger Construction Company restaurant, and a Dairy Queen. The incident commander quickly assessed that the arcade building was fully involved and had firefighters take a defensive posture while trying to protect the exposures. A stiff northwest wind may have assisted the firefighters by blowing the fire in the direction of the beach rather than onto the adjacent Boardwalk structures. Mutual aid fire companies from around Cape May County were called in to assist Ocean City firefighters.”

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On 1/30/2016 a fire destroyed the seven-acre 70-year-old, beef cattle auction and stockyard and nearby businesses in Lexington Kentucky. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire around 2:20 p.m. and quickly called for backup as the skies darkened from the wind-whipped flames.

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On 1/30/2014? a Greenville, (western) Kentucky house fire killed nine family members after an electric baseboard heater ignited some nearby combustibles.

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On 1/30/2013 a two-story unprotected ordinary construction, 12,000-square-foot egg processing plant fire resulted in a $40 million loss around 6:04 p.m. in Burlington, Wisconsin. The plant had a partial wet-pipe sprinkler system and no automatic detection system. The fire occurred in an area not protected by the sprinkler system. Ammonia piping may have contributed to the fire.

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On 1/30/1978 the 86-year-old Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, the site of the 1939 premiere of “Gone with the Wind” was damaged by a fire that destroyed most of the top three floors and extended across an alley to several floors of the 12-story Continental Insurance Building next door.

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On 1/30/1925 White River Junction, VT an oil heater explosion on the second floor of the Coolidge House started a fire that destroyed the 340-room wood-frame hotel with eight stores on the street floor; all the guests escaped.

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On 1/30/1912 the Sioux City, Iowa, Mondamin Hotel Block was destroyed by fire; eleven businesses were damaged.

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On 1/30/1898 the Washington Opera House, Parker's Livery Stable, and the Mason County Library building in Maysville, Kentucky were destroyed by a fire that also damaged several business houses.

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On 1/30/1891 the Coke County Courthouse in Robert Lee, Texas was destroyed by fire including most of the official records.

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On 1/30/1860 an incendiary fire destroyed the storehouse of Warner Line of Packets and the adjoining paper warehouse around midnight in Wilmington, Delaware.

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On 1/30/1968 during the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive began

On 1/30/1948 Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi

1/30/1933 Adolf Hitler was named leader or führer of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party).

On 1/30/1882 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, NY

On 1/30/1835 shots were fired in the House of Representatives; President Andrew Jackson narrowly escaped the 1st assassination attempt.

On 1/30/1781 Maryland became the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.