Today in Fire History 8/20

On 8/20/1910 the “Great Fire of 1910, also called the Big Blowup or the Devil’s Broom Fire began burning in Northern Idaho and Western Montana. The fire burned three million acres; a size comparable to the state of Connecticut. In all, the wildfire killed eighty-seven, of which, at least seventy-eight were firefighters, charred a third of the town of Wallace, Idaho while destroying several others in both Idaho and Montana. Smoke from the fire spread as far east as New York, and as far south as Colorado. It was also reported that ships couldn’t navigate the Pacific Ocean because the sky was obscured.” “In the aftermath of the fire, the United States Forest Service received considerable recognition for its firefighting efforts, including a doubling of its budget from Congress. The outcome was to highlight firefighters as public heroes while raising public awareness of national nature conservation. The fire is often considered a significant impetus in the development of early wildfire prevention and suppression strategies.”

On 8/20/1854 two Richmond, Virginia firefighters “were killed from the injuries they sustained while fighting a fire when a wall collapsed.”

On 8/20/1900 a Peoria, Illinois firefighter “died from injuries sustained while fighting a fire at the F.C. Carroll Ice-House at 166 North Fayette Street. At 1:45 a.m. Box Alarm 7 sounded a fire at the Peoria Lounge and Mattress Company, located at 301-303 Walter Street between Fayette and Eaton Streets. He and his crew of Hose Company 1 were the first to arrive. Despite the firefighter’s efforts, the two-story, wood-frame structure sustained $11,961 worth of damage and was virtually destroyed. At 3:53 a.m., Box Alarm 95 transmitted another alarm. Flying embers from the fire at the mattress company had ignited a fire at the vacant F.C. Carroll Ice-House, just one block up the street. Leaving some of his crew to continue fighting the fire at the mattress company, the firefighter started dragging another line of hose to the ice-house. At the scene, the men began hosing down the southwest corner of the ice-house but were greatly hampered by bursting hose lines. Finally, firefighters secured more hoses and began pouring a dozen streams of water on the building. At this point, the firefighter took up a position standing on a sill with the others just behind him. At the sound of cracking timber, the men instantly dropped the hoseline and made a break to escape. There was a deafening crash, and the firefighter was buried in the debris and died.”

On 8/20/1901 five Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighters “lost their lives at a fire at an oil refinery, on Point Breeze.” “At 12:30 a. m., on Monday last, while a large force of firefighters were endeavoring to check the fire in a nest of burning oil tanks at the Atlantic Oil Refining company’s plant at Point Breeze, in the southwestern section of Philadelphia, a huge tank of benzine suddenly exploded. Many firefighters were in close proximity to the tank and fell victims to the blazing oil and hying pieces of iron, At least five were killed and about one hundred were badly burned before they could be rescued by their more fortunate companions, A general call was telegraphed for ambulances and patrol wagons. The injured were hurried to the hospitals in the lower end of the city. The dead firefighters were horribly burned and their bodies badly mutilated. The bodies were hardly recognizable when brought to the morgue. Some of the injured will die. Up to Tuesday morning, ten or twelve tanks of benzine and petroleum had already been destroyed, and the fire had not yet been checked and was not expected to burn itself out for several days. The loss, it is estimated, will reach quite $500,000. The fire broke out quite suddenly, lightning struck a tank, which exploded, and the fire spread so quickly from tank to tank that their contents could not be drawn off. At one time it was thought the flames were under control, but suddenly the big tank of benzine exploded, killing and wounding scores of firefighters and probably other non-firefighters. The burning oil could not be extinguished on their clothes, which were soaked by it, and the brave men suffered agonies in consequence. As the burning oil poured over an improvised dyke it set fire to the gasoline and other tanks, all of which exploded, scattering burning oil in all directions. The men of No. 49 engine company, who were pumping the oil from the other tanks suffered heavily. The Chief saw it was impossible to save the plant and, therefore, withdrew his men to avoid further slaughter.”

On 8/20/1939 an Indianapolis, Indiana firefighter “died of lung injuries he suffered on August 18 while fighting a fire in the chemical laboratory at the city's sewage treatment plant on South Belmont Avenue. He inhaled chlorine gas.”

On 8/20/1940 a Chicago, IL firefighter died from injuries he received “on August 17, 1940, when a fire erupted at the Van Schaack Brothers Chemical factory at 3420 W. Henderson, in Chicago. The fire started when a light bulb burst and ignited fumes from a manufacturing chemical named benzol, but the Chicago Fire Department responded and successfully extinguished the small blaze. Aware of the danger of additional chemical explosions, fire officers ordered firefighters out of the building, keeping two hose lines ready in case of any further explosions. Before all of the firefighters could be evacuated, however, a larger explosion rocked the factory. Firefighters and officers from Engine 43, Engine 14, Engine 106, Engine 114, and Truck 13, were removing their equipment from a narrow hallway in the factory when the explosion sent flames bursting through the windows around them. There were no more explosions, but four firefighters had been killed in the blast. Nine other firefighters, including two chiefs, were injured and a firefighter died from his burns two days later on 8/20/1940.”

On 8/20/1956 a Worcester, Massachusetts firefighter died from smoke inhalation.

On 8/20/1962 a Toronto Canada firefighter died at a fire in a dress shop on Spadina Ave near Adelaide Street. “A 2nd-alarm was transmitted as fire quick-spread in the three-story building. Two firefighters climbed a ladder to a second-story ledge and attempted to gain access through a window. Steel security bars hampered their progress, and after several attempts with a crowbar, they used a 60-lb battering ram. After about 5 minutes of heavy hard work, they managed to break through and took a hose line through the window. Just after entering the smoke-filled 2nd-floor, one firefighter experienced chest pains, the other firefighter told him to exit and sit down on the ledge. They realized he was seriously ill and took him down the ladder and rushed him to the hospital in Car 44. He died from his injuries around 8:00 p.m.”

On 8/20/1980 a Burlington, New Jersey firefighter “lost his life during the suppression efforts of a multiple alarm structure fire at the Callahan Chemical Company located at South Broad and Filmore Streets in Palmyra Borough.”

On 8/20/1980 a Newark, New Jersey firefighter died from a fall during a fire. “On 8/16/1980, he was overhauling a fire at a vacant three-story brick building when he stepped out onto the fire escape and it collapsed to the ground. On 8/20/1980, he died of severe head injuries.”

On 8/20/2004 two Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighters died at a fire in a residential structure. “Upon arrival on the scene, a working fire was found. He and another firefighter deployed an attack line into the basement of the structure. While in the basement, conditions deteriorated rapidly, and the crew was ordered to evacuate the basement. As the crew began its withdrawal, one firefighter’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) became entangled. He was unable to leave. The second firefighter ordered the third firefighter, a rookie, to leave as he attempted to free the firefighter. Rescue efforts to assist the trapped firefighters were delayed by the volume of fire. Once the fire was knocked down, firefighters entered the basement and removed the two firefighters. Despite their best efforts, both firefighters died of smoke inhalation. Electrical wiring used to provide lighting for an illegal marijuana growing operation caused the fire. A man was charged with murder because of the firefighters’ deaths.”

On 8/20/1995 around 2:00 a.m. the Kalindi Express, a train headed to New Delhi collided with a cow on the tracks near Firozabad that damaged the brakes and could not continue the journey, the local signalman failed to stop the next express train only minutes behind the Kalindi Express. The Pureshotham Express from Puri, traveling at full speed hit the disabled train. “Six cars on each of the trains virtually exploded on impact. In addition to the 358 people who lost their lives, another 400 were seriously injured.” “Due to the special significance of the cow in the Hindu religion, the animals are permitted to roam freely throughout India.”

On 8/20/1984, a fire on the Cruise Ship M/V Scandinavian Sun, while docking at the Port of Miami, Florida left two dead and fifty-seven injured.?The fire rapidly spread forcing many passengers, attempting to disembark, to remain on board until the fire was extinguished.?One passenger and one crew member were eventually found dead in their cabins during the search of the ship. The fire originated in the auxiliary engine room, caused by the ignition of atomized lubricating oil leaking from a diesel engine driving one generator. Products of combustion extended vertically to six decks above the engine and machine rooms by a ladder access way and through an open passageway, doors leading to passageways on several of the upper decks were open during the fire which allowed dense smoke and heat to extend horizontally into crew and passenger cabin areas.

On 8/20/1978 the Cinema Rex fire, the Cinema Rex in Abadan, Iran, was set ablaze; the fire killed 422. The ruling shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, said that Islamic militants set the fire. While the public was made to believe that the country’s intelligence service, SAVAK, set the fire, this was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history. Concrete evidence and testimony showed that the religious thugs were responsible for this awful act.

On 8/20/1936 in Beckley, West Virginia a locomotive boiler explosion killed three.

On 8/20/1915 the DuPont Powder Company explosion damaged much of the plant in Carney's Point, New Jersey.

On 8/20/1902 twelve died, three were injured and three men were missing from an explosion of the pulp works of the Jessup & Moore Paper Company in Wilmington, DE when one of the steel digesters exploded. The digesters resemble a vat and are about 6 feet in diameter used for reducing wood pulp.

On 8/20/1884 the Metropolitan Hotel fire extended to twenty-five wood-frame buildings around 1:00 a.m. in Roseburg, Oregon

On 8/20/1874 the Wilton, Iowa conflagration started in a grain elevator and extended to several buildings.

On 8/20/1989 the Menendez brothers murder their parents.

On 8/20/1968 Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia.

On 8/20/1940 exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was killed, he was wounded by an assassin at his compound outside Mexico City.

On 8/20/1862 during the Civil War Horace Greeley published "The Prayer of Twenty-Millions".

On 8/20/1833 President Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio.

On 8/20/1794 the American Revolution Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought