Today in Fire History 6/14

On 6/14/1954 the 1st nationwide civil defense drill was held. “The drill was organized and evaluated by the Civil Defense Administration and included operations in 54 cities in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. The basic premise of the drill was that the United States was under massive nuclear assault from both aircraft and submarines and that most major urban areas had been targeted.” School children were taught in case of an attack to get in a ball under their desk and cover their neck with their hand to “duck and cover.”

On 6/14/2017 a fire “broke out in the 24-story Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, England just before 1:00 a.m. The fire caused 72 deaths, including those of two victims who later died in hospital. More than 70 others were injured, and 223 people escaped. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War. The fire was started by a malfunctioning fridge-freezer on the fourth floor. It spread rapidly up the building's exterior, bringing fire and smoke to all the residential floors. The rapid spread has been attributed to the building's cladding, which is a type in widespread use, along with the external insulation. It burned for about 60 hours before finally being extinguished. More than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters and 70 fire engines were involved from stations all across London in efforts to control the fire and rescue residents. More than 100 London Ambulance Service crews on at least 20 ambulances attended, joined by specialist paramedics from the Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team. The Metropolitan Police and London's Air Ambulance also assisted the rescue effort… The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. These include the management of the building by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea TMO (Tenant Management Organisation, which was responsible for the borough's council housing), as well as the response of the Fire Brigade, the council, and other government agencies. In the aftermath of the fire, the council's leader and chief executive resigned, and the council took direct control of council housing from KCTMO. The national government commissioned an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which published a report in May 2018. Across the UK and in some other countries, local governments have investigated other tower blocks to find others that have similar cladding. Efforts to replace the cladding on these buildings are ongoing.”

On 6/14/1877 a Saint Louis, Missouri firefighter died “while demonstrating a new type of fire escape at the Lindell Hotel, the firefighter fell approximately six stories to the street below. He died at the scene. He was a member of Engine Company #9.”

On 6/14/1896 a Louisville, Kentucky firefighter will die on July 7, 1896, from injuries he received while working the White Mills Distilling Company fire. “At 6 a.m. on June 14, 1896, a night watchman noticed a large fire in Warehouse A of the White Mills Distilling Company. The third-alarm fire brought nearly every fire apparatus to the scene. Warehouse B was only 16' away from the burning building. Engine 17 was the first fire company to arrive and began throwing water on the red-hot Warehouse B. This action saved the warehouse. As the barrels of whiskey exploded and broke open, a river of water and burning whiskey began to flow. At 10:00 p.m. three firefighters were carrying a hose line between two buildings. One of the firefighters slipped and fell causing the others to fall. Two firefighters caught themselves and were badly burned on their arms. The third firefighter fell full length into the burning whiskey. Firefighters tore his burning clothing from his body. Those who witnessed the incident thought he was going to burn up on the spot. He was taken to Hook and Ladder 2 where a physician treated his injuries, but the injured firefighter died on July 7, 1896, after lingering with his burns for three weeks.”

On 6/14/1911 two firefighters were injured fighting a fire at the Pomona (California) Hotel & Tavern.

On 6/14/1914 a Binghamton, New York firefighter “was killed fighting a fire at Hayes Boathouse. This was located at the corner of Hawley Street and Emerson Place on the Susquehanna River. His neck was broken when the boathouse collapsed on him and several other firefighters.”

On 6/14/1915 a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter “died of smoke inhalation while operating at a fire at 1950 S. 15th Street.”

On 6/14/1946 a Brooklyn, New York (FDNY) firefighter was killed and two others injured when they “were blown into the water by an explosion at a four-alarm blaze in the rubber tire, tar, and coal filled hold of a 5000-ton freighter tied up to a dock at Kane Street. The firefighter died from drowning. The two other firefighters were rescued and taken to the hospital afterward.”

On 6/14/1950 a California Department of Forestry firefighter “died after suffering the effect of smoke inhalation while operating at a fire in Gilman LO – Orange Ranger Unit.”

On 6/14/1963 two Richmond, Virginia firefighters “were killed as they tried to rescue a worker who had become overcome by fumes in a sewer line.”

On 6/14/1979 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter “was killed, and nineteen others were injured, at a four-alarm fire, which started in the fifth-floor storage closet of the Macy's Department Store. The fire rapidly spread throughout the fifth floor as firefighters were preparing to stretch a line. As conditions deteriorated, the firefighter became disoriented and separated from his company. Due to extremely heavy smoke conditions, a search for him could not be made until about 150 windows were taken out to help relieve the heavy smoke conditions. He was found face down, in a display area. His self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) was empty and he had suffered extensive burns and smoke inhalation. The sprinkler system was out of service at the time of the fire.”

On 6/14/1992 a Detroit, Michigan firefighter died from Smoke inhalation.

On 6/14/2005 a Woodmere, New York firefighter “responded as the officer on his fire department’s heavy rescue to a working fire in a residence. He participated in a search of the structure and opened up to allow engine company firefighters access to the fire in the attic. After the fire suppression operations were completed, he left the structure where the fire had occurred and sat down on a curb to rest. A firefighter walking by asked him if he was feeling well. Seconds later, he lost consciousness and was found to be pulseless and not breathing. Emergency medical aid was summoned, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately started, and an AED was applied as ALS equipment was readied. These interventions were not successful, and he was loaded into an ambulance and transported to a hospital. Despite these efforts, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack. He had recently retired from a distinguished career as a rescue company officer of Rescue Co. 2 in 2003 with the Fire Department New York. Department.”

On 6/14/2015 fifty-five homes were destroyed by the Sockeye fire in Willow, Alaska. “Nearly 100 Willow properties have had structures damaged or destroyed by the fire.” The wildland fire burned more than 7,220 acres in an area where approximately 2,000 people live.

On 6/14/2014 a fire at the Rosneft east Siberian Achinsk (Russia) refinery killed seven and injured seven when a fire broke out at a fractionation unit of the refinery, which produces 140,000 barrels per day of oil products and exports 2.3 million tons of fuel oil per year, the plant was badly damaged.

On 6/14/2013 a gasoline tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons crashed in a tunnel and caught fire causing $16.5 million in damages on the Glendale (2) Freeway at the Golden State (5) Freeway interchange north of downtown Los Angeles, California.

On 6/14/2013 a mother and her three daughters died in a duplex fire; investigators found no evidence of working smoke detectors at the Macon, Georgia house.

On 6/14/1983 five people were killed and thirty-four injured in a suspicious fire at a Ramada Inn Central just off Interstate 30 in Fort Worth, Texas that started around 3:20 a.m. in a first-floor corridor involving 23 rolls of carpeting and padding. The alarm system in the main building did not work, the batteries were corroded, and there were no smoke alarms in the 86-room northeast wing of the two-story protected wood frame non-sprinklered hotel with interior corridors connected by three unenclosed interior stairways, where the fire started adjacent to an exit. Smoke alarms were not required when the hotel was built 10 years before the fire.

On 6/14/1974 the Carteret Shopping Center fire had losses of over $30 million in Carteret, Illinois.

On 6/14/1974 a fire destroyed the top floor of the 80-year-old building Clinton County Courthouse in Plattsburg, Missouri.

On 6/14/1909 the Wise, Virginia conflagration started.

On 6/14/1901 the Mineral Springs Hotel was destroyed by fire in West Baden, Indiana.

On 6/14/1860 a crowded balcony collapses injuring several in Sandusky, Ohio at the West's Hotel.

On 5/14/1850 a fire destroyed a part of San Francisco, California.

On 6/14/1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked by Shiite Hezbollah terrorists, killing a US Navy diver.

On 6/14/1982 Falkland Islands War ended.

On 6/14/1954 President Eisenhower signed an order adding the words 'under God' to the Pledge.

On 6/14/1944 the 1st B-29 bombing raid on mainland Japan.

On 6/14/1940 Germans entered Paris.

On 6/14/1917 Congress passed the Espionage Act; which “essentially made it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country's enemies.”?

On 6/14/1861 Harpers Ferry was evacuated by rebels in face of McClellan's advance.

On 6/14/1846 California's Bear Flag Revolt began fearing the outbreak of war with Mexico, settlers rebelled against the Mexican government proclaiming the California Republic.

On 6/14/1777 Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes (Flag Day).

On 6/14/1775 the US Army was founded.

On 6/14/1642 the 1st compulsory education law in America was passed by Massachusetts.