Today in Fire History 4/8

On 4/8/1766 one of the 1st fire escapes was patented; it was a wicker basket on a pulley and chain.

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On 4/8/1858 a Toronto, Ontario, Canada firefighter died “after a major fire was brought under control on Adelaide Street, he along with other members of Engine 6 were standing on the sidewalk directing streams, when without warning the chimney fell, striking him, causing him fatal injuries.

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On 4/8/1902 a Chicago, Illinois firefighter “was fatally injured while fighting an industrial fire at 185 North Canal Street. Five firefighters became stranded on a third-story fire escape while fighting the fire, and water streams from hoses at the street level were unsuccessful in pushing back the flames and smoke that trapped the firefighters, the victim climbed up a thirty-foot ladder with a hose line. When he reached the top of the ladder, he was knocked off balance when he was struck by a stream of water from a hose down on the street. He fell thirty feet to the street below and was transported to Cook County Hospital.”

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On 4/8/1907 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter died after firefighters found heavy fire in a sprawling, four-story brick railway car barn. Less than ten minutes after the arrival of firefighters, the roof collapsed pushing a wall of the "fireproof" building out onto the members of Engine 80. One firefighter was killed, and seven members of the company were seriously injured. The only reason that more firefighters weren't injured was that the second and third alarm companies hadn't arrived yet.”

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On 4/8/1914 a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania firefighter died “while manning a hoseline at the rear of a general-alarm fire involving a printing firm after he suddenly collapsed.”

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On 4/8/1966 a Newark, New Jersey firefighter died “while off duty in Bloomfield, he was electrocuted and killed while trying to rescue a boy stuck high in a train tower. A civilian was also killed trying to help. The boy was rescued by Bloomfield firefighters.”

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On 4/8/2004 a Carthage, Tennessee firefighter “was seriously injured during a church fire when he was struck by bricks and burning debris that fell from an outward collapse of a brick facade. The victim died from his injuries four months later. He had arrived at the scene of the fire one minute after the first alarm and approximately 15 minutes before the collapse. He assumed Command, performed a 360-degree size-up of the scene, and was in front of the church verbally calling for firefighters to evacuate the structure when the collapse occurred. The firefighter was transported by helicopter to a hospital and later transferred to a rehabilitation center where he remained until August 1, 2004, when he died from his injuries. The structure involved in the incident was a church that was originally built in 1870. The one-story Type V Wood Frame construction building had a partial basement with approximately 2,233 total square feet of usable space. The church was renovated in 1920 and exterior walls of brick veneer were constructed over the wood frame at that time. The gabled roof was covered by wood and composition shingles. The interior walls were made of wood panels. There was a suspended acoustic tile ceiling in the vestibule area where it is believed the fire originated. Flooring consisted of carpet over a pre-existing wooden floor. Until the mid-1960s, the church was heated by a free-standing coal stove. A church officer reported to fire investigators that coal dust had accumulated within the walls and above the ceiling which may have contributed to a rapid fire spread. The building was not equipped with a sprinkler system or smoke detectors. The only exposure was a two-story Type III Ordinary construction mercantile building located closely on Side Delta.”

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On 4/8/2008 a Lawrence Park Township, Pennsylvania firefighter died after he responded to a building fire at Port Erie Plastics. He was killed at the scene after he took command of the fire upon arrival and was on the ground directing firefighters when the aerial truck's ladder malfunctioned, fatally injuring him.

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On 4/8/2011 a Waikele, Hawaii fireworks storage bunker explosion killed five. “The storage facility was authorized by the fire department to hold fireworks.”

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On 4/8/1911 the Banner coal mine explosion killed 128 in Littleton, Alabama

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On 4/8/1911 Hartsville, South Carolina a baggage car fire left two dead and six injured.

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On 4/8/1919 the Home Torpedo Company explosion in Torrent, Kentucky killed four when a fire spread to a large tank where nitroglycerine was stored

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On 4/8/1909 a Manchester, New Hampshire fire destroyed 70 buildings in the tenement house district in the south section of the city

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On 4/8/1894 Memphis, Tennessee a four-story brick tenement block was destroyed by a fire that left five dead on Beal and Desoto Streets.

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On 4/8/1891 Victor Mills in Shelbyville, Tennessee was destroyed by fire

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On 4/8/1862 John D. Lynde patented an aerosol dispenser that allows a liquid substance to be sprayed from a container.

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On 4/8/1913 the 17th amendment to the Constitution was ratified mandating that “the Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.”