Today in Fire History 4/12

On 4/12/1908 nearly half the city, 18 blocks, was destroyed in the 1st Great Chelsea (Massachusetts) fire (the 2nd conflagration occurred on 10/14/1973) that left twelve dead, eighty-five missing and presumed dead, and more than 17,000 homeless that started at the Boston Blacking Company on West 3rd Street, a company that made shoes and shoe adhesives. “The fire department responded immediately, and quickly succeeded in putting the fire out with little damage, but the forty-mile gale that was blowing at the time carried sparks to nearby houses, and soon all the frame buildings in the vicinity were ablaze. The fire then traveled quickly in an easterly direction, and despite the best efforts of the department, was soon beyond control. So intense was the heat of the fire that buildings made of solid granite crumbled, and were destroyed. The fire could not be checked in its easterly course, and in a short time traveled across the city and was stopped only by the Chelsea River.”

?

On 4/12/1895 a Worcester, Massachusetts firefighter died while fighting a fire in “a four-story brick clothing factory that was fully involved. Firefighting efforts were hampered by wire-laden telegraph poles around the building and high winds. The members of Truck 3 were moving a 65-foot Bangor ladder in the alleyway when the roof and sections of a wall collapsed on them. The firefighter was killed, and another firefighter was seriously injured.”

?

On 4/12/1916 a Detroit, Michigan firefighter “died from internal injuries after having fallen off a ladder.”

?

On 4/12/1917 an Ashburnham, Massachusetts firefighter died while operating at a fire involving the Cushing Academy.

?

On 4/12/1917 a Brooklyn, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died as a result of inhaling poisonous gas while operating at a fire in a dye works factory.”

?

On 4/12/1917 a Queens, New York (FDNY) firefighter died “while operating at a four-alarm fire, he was killed when he was caught under a collapsing wall.”

?

On 4/12/1957 a Piedmont, California firefighter died from the injuries he sustained while operating at a fire.

?

On 4/12/1972 a Richmond, Virginia firefighter “was crushed to death when a quantity of water-soaked bales of cotton fell on him during a warehouse fire.”

?

On 4/12/2009 two Houston, Texas firefighters died at a residential structure fire just after midnight. “Engine 26 was the first to arrive on the scene approximately 6 minutes after dispatch. They found a large residence with smoke showing. The two firefighters and another firefighter advanced an attack line to the interior of the structure. As the line advanced, the third firefighter had to withdraw from the structure due to an issue with his protective clothing. Approximately 7 minutes after the arrival of Engine 26 on the scene, fire conditions changed rapidly, and firefighters exited the building. The Incident Commander declared a defensive strategy and apparatus air horns were sounded to announce the evacuation of the building. Firefighters realized that the two firefighters were missing. Firefighters used master streams and handlines to try to control the fire. Approximately 30 minutes after the switch to a defensive strategy, firefighters were able to enter the structure and both firefighters were found. Both firefighters were removed to the front yard of the home and resuscitative efforts were made, to no avail. The cause of death was listed as thermal injuries and smoke inhalation. The Structure was a large, one-story, ranch-style home at 7811 Oak Vista. The fire went to a 2 alarm.”

?

On 4/12/2015 a Valley Springs, South Dakota firefighter “died from injuries sustained while working interior fire operations at the scene of a residential structure fire. He was found in the basement of the home after fire crews were ordered out of the structure due to fire conditions. The 47-year-old homeowner had been rescued by fire crews and transported to the hospital soon after they arrived on-scene but did not survive his injuries.”

?

On 4/12/2016 a Freeport, Illinois firefighter “passed away from injuries sustained from exposure to a toxic substance while battling a house fire.”

?

On 4/12/2021 a “major fire engulfed a business center in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, killing a firefighter and injuring two others. The fire spread across all four of the building’s floors and was in an area of more than 100,000 square feet. Around 300 firefighters were involved in fighting the fire. One firefighter died and two other firefighters were hospitalized with injuries. Forty people have been evacuated from the building. The building where the business center was located was erected in the 19th century, and its decrepit state made it harder for the firefighters to operate.”

?

On 4/12/2015 a mistake led to the deaths of four elderly Queens, New York residents after someone in the house absentmindedly left the car idling in the garage allowing exhaust fumes (carbon monoxide) to fill the structure.

?

On 4/12/2014 a Valparaiso, Chile wildland fire killed twelve, destroyed hundreds of homes, and forced thousands to evacuate.

?

On 4/12/1979 a fireworks factory fire killed thirty-two in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’

?

On 4/12/1911 the Goldfield, Nevada Merchants Hotel was destroyed by fire around 1:00 a.m. that extended to three adjoining buildings. “The fire was caused by throwing a glass of water into the stove to create steam to blow the soot from the stove pipe.? An explosion resulted and the force unjointed the pipe in a room on the second floor.? Through the aperture thus created hot coals were scattered over the carpet.”

?

On 4/12/1844 Texas became a U.S. territory

?

On 4/12/1861 the Civil War began when Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Bay

?

On 4/12/1862 the Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews' Raid, was a military raid in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J. Andrews, commandeered a train and took it northward toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad (W&A) line from Atlanta to Chattanooga. They were pursued by Confederate forces at first on foot, and later on a succession of locomotives. Because the Union men had cut the telegraph wires, the Confederates could not send warnings ahead to forces along the railway. Confederates eventually captured the raiders and executed some quickly as spies, including Andrews; some others were able to flee. Some of the raiders were the first to be awarded the Medal of Honor by the U.S. Congress for their actions. As a civilian, Andrews was not eligible.

?

On 4/12/1945 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died.

?

On 4/12/1961 Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into space.

?

On 4/12/1981 the first launching of the space shuttle, a reusable manned spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.