Today in Fire History 8/24
On 8/24/1814 British troops during the War of 1812 set fire to many public buildings in Washington D.C., including the Whitehouse and Capitol. The next day a hurricane that included a tornado passed through Washington D.C., putting out the fires and forcing the British troops back to their ships. This was the second hurricane to stop the British troop advancement during the War of 1812. On 8/19-20/1812, a hurricane struck west of New Orleans, Louisiana scattering the British fleet across the Gulf.
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On 8/24/1967 “members of Los Angeles County, Fire Department Crew 4-4 were burned over. Seven juvenile crewmen and a firefighter specialist lost their lives. Before the fire was over it burned 19,100 acres. As a result of the loss of juvenile firefighters' lives in this fire and the Hacienda Heights Fire, the practice of using juvenile probationers to fight fires was re-evaluated and stopped. The Downhill Indirect Checklist was another result of this fire.”
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On 8/24/1871 a San Francisco, California firefighter died from injuries he received on September 21, 1870, at the Harpending Block building fire. He was knocked to the ground by falling timbers and a heavy cornice. He was burned over his face and head and received serious injuries to his right arm that required him to have his arm amputated. He was never able to recover from the injuries to his head, which were the cause of his death.
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On 8/24/1881 an Evansville, Indiana firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained after being caught in a collapse at the L. Toff & Co.’s Saddlery Store. The fire had spread throughout an entire block.”
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On 8/24/1901 an Oakland, California firefighter “lost his life while operating at a fire at Chestnut and Thirty-fourth Street after he received severe burns.”
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On 8/24/1940 a San Francisco, California firefighter died “while operating at the fire with the Fair Company, he scaled the burning California building, was struck by a battery line and toppled eighty feet to the ground, succumbing a few hours later at Harbor Emergency Hospital. He had been temporarily assigned duty with Treasurer Island's Fire Station One, for the duration of the Fair.”
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On 8/24/1974 a Durango, Colorado firefighter and a police officer died at “a fire that broke out on Main Avenue, that would destroy historic buildings in the middle of the 800 block of the city. Soon after responding to the fire, the firefighter and another firefighter were sent to the back of Taylor-Raymond Jewelers to evacuate residents of the apartments upstairs. A police officer, who was off duty, returned to help. As the three approached the burning building, it exploded, crushing and killing one firefighter and the police officer. The blast had thrown the other firefighter under a car. The fire took more than 24 hours to completely extinguish. Nine businesses were destroyed, including Gardenswartz Sporting Goods, Thompson Saddle Shop, City Taxi, Taylor-Raymond Jewelers, and Chez Louis, a French restaurant. Several other buildings were seriously damaged, including the Kiva Theater. It's believed that an arsonist had started the fire after becoming angry about being evicted.”
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On 8/24/1975 a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter “died of burns that resulted from a refinery fire on August 17, 1975. This tragedy resulted in the death of eight Philadelphia firefighters, injuries to 14 other firefighters, as well as the loss of Philadelphia fire apparatus.”
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On 8/24/2009 two Buffalo, New York firefighters died after “Buffalo Fire Department units were dispatched to a report of a structure fire in a convenience store. Firefighters found a working fire on their arrival and civilian reports of people trapped in the building. Both the exterior and the interior of the building were difficult to access due to numerous security measures. Firefighters searched the building and found no occupants. Access to the building's basement could not be achieved due to fire conditions and a reinforced door. An order to evacuate the building and a switch to defensive firefighting operations was declared by the Incident Commander. At approximately 4:22 a.m. Rescue 1 entered the retail area of the store to verify that all firefighters had evacuated. Less than 2 minutes after their entry, the floor collapsed, and a firefighter fell into the basement. He immediately began to call for help over his portable radio. The other members of his crew were unaware of what had happened and exited the structure. A firefighter assigned to the firefighter assist and search team (FAST) entered the structure. It is thought that he directly heard the calls for help from the missing firefighter. He also fell into the basement close to the missing firefighter. Fire conditions worsened, and firefighters were not able to access the interior. The firefighter assigned to the FAST status was not known for some time due to errors in accountability procedures. Firefighters were able to enter the basement and located the deceased firefighters at 9:18 a.m. The cause of death for both firefighters was smoke inhalation. “
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On 8/24/2011 around 3:37 a.m., a propane fire atop a train tanker in Lincoln, California burned for nearly 40 hours of intense flames; about 4,800 homes were evacuated. Fire crews used up to 5,000 gallons of water per minute to keep the tank cool. It is believed that the fire was “sparked after a worker opened a hatch and immediately noticed gas under pressure” at Northern Propane Energy.?
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On 8/24/1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin “Engine Company 35 (MFD) was first to arrive when two cars of the Milwaukee Electric Lines collided.? Surprisingly, no one was killed, although many were injured. The accident happened at 52nd & Story Parkway near Soldier's Home on the city's west side.? After a train backed up, the following train slammed into it.? A major rail accident one year later caused 10 deaths and many injuries, spelling the end of Rapid Transit in Milwaukee.”
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On 8/24/1936 near West Pittston, Pennsylvania a coal mine explosion at about 8:30 a.m. in the Pittston vein, about 200 feet below the surface killed five.
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On 8/24/1910 a forest fire left 800 persons homeless and 2000 timbermen out of work in Clark County, Washington.
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On 8/24/1894 the Amethyst Mine fire killed four that started in the dry room between 3 and 4:00 a.m. and extended to the shaft house and all the machinery near Creede, Colorado.
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On 8/24/1894 a mine fire killed thirty-seven that started in the sixth level of the Oregon Improvement Company's coal mines at Franklin, Washington around 1:00 p.m.
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On 8/24/0079 the eruption of Mount Vesuvius began destroying Pompeii.
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On 8/24/1572 the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, King Charles IX of France, under the sway of his mother, Catherine de Medici, ordered the assassination of Huguenot Protestant leaders in Paris, setting off the massacre of tens of thousands of Huguenots across France.
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On 8/24/1821 Spain accepted Mexican independence 11 years after the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence, The Spanish Viceroy, Juan de O'Donojú, signed the Treaty of Córdoba, which approved an independent constitutional monarchy for Mexico.
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On 8/24/1954 Congress passed the Communist Control Act