Today in Fire History 8/30

On 8/30/1885 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter “was killed when he was caught under a collapsing wall at the Gardner Holmes Chair Factory on East 61st Street.”

On 8/30/1975 a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter “died of burns that resulted from the Gulf Oil Refinery fire on August 17, 1975. The firefighter was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with 2nd and 3rd-degree burns over 72 percent of his body. His death was attributed to septicemia, a buildup of bacteria in the blood. He suffered massive burns while attempting to save the men who had become trapped in the flash fire that enveloped them when the pool of crude oil ignited beneath a thick layer of foam. This tragedy resulted in the death of eight Philadelphia firefighters, injuries to 14 other firefighters, as well as the loss of Philadelphia fire apparatus.”

On 8/30/1976 a Queens, New York (FDNY) firefighter died “while operating at a four-alarm fire, He was killed when the first floor of the fire building collapsed, burying him under tons of rubble in the basement.”

On 8/30/1978 a Brock Township, Ontario, Canada firefighter died “while operating at a house fire, just outside Sutherland. As interior crews were advancing, they requested roof ventilation. The firefighter was in command and proceeded to the roof to assist. While working on the roof, he collapsed and fell from the main roof to the veranda roof, and then to the ground. Firefighters attempted resuscitation and rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”

On 8/30/2015 a fire spread through an oil workers' residential compound in Saudi Arabia that killed ten people and injured 259 in the town of Al Khobar. The fire was reported in the basement of the residential compound leased by Saudi Aramco for its employees. The Radium Residential Complex consists of eight six-story buildings and comprises 486 units. Aramco has more than 61,000 employees.

On 8/30/2013 four people were killed around 9:20 p.m. when a fire gutted a house in upstate New York in the town of Elmira.

On 8/30/1989 around 5:15 a.m., a suspicious fire in a guest room at the Sheraton Boston Hotel ignited a king-size bed heavily damaging the room of fire origin, but very little damage occurred outside this room. The smoke detector in the room was activated, and guests in adjacent rooms notified the hotel operator; Boston firefighters attack the fire with their hose which was connected to a standpipe. The hotel has two high-rise towers; one tower is fully sprinklered, and the other tower, where the fire occurred, was scheduled for the installation of sprinklers. The building was equipped with smoke detectors in corridors and guest rooms and with occupant evacuation alarms.

On 8/30/1980 about 18 miles offshore from Port O'Connor, Texas in the Gulf of Mexico an oil rig explosion and fire killed two and injured seven; twenty-eight men were evacuated from the rig after it "experienced serious pressure buildups," about midnight. "There is gas burning on the water and the platform and the wellhead, which is broken about halfway up."

On 8/30/1979 near Good Hope, Louisiana a Peruvian cargo ship crashed into three barges dock on the Mississippi River that contained butane and burned injuring 29 people.

On 8/30/1974 a train crashed into a station in Yugoslavia killing 153.

On 8/30/1956 a Fairbanks, Arkansas nightclub was destroyed by a fire that started around 3:30 a.m. at the Club Rendezvous, located at Mile-One on the Steese Highway. Thirty-five patrons, bartenders, and entertainers were in the building when the fire was discovered in front of the building near the roof.

On 8/30/1947 the Select movie theater fire killed eighty-eight in Paris, France.

On 8/30/1915 near Wilmington, Delaware the DuPont Powder Company explosion killed two.

On 8/30/1908 a fire in New Orleans, Louisiana broke out in the commercial district that destroyed several small stores, manufacturing plants, and wholesale houses that originated at Bienville and Chartres Streets. The fire extended 3 blocks. The fire started while the firefighters were attending their annual picnic, delaying the attack for about an hour.

On 8/30/1898 the Nashville, Tennessee business district was heavily damaged by a fire that started at 2:10 a.m. on the fifth floor of the large manufacturer and dealer of stoves and tin-ware, on College Street and spread rapidly, destroying several buildings.

On 8/30/1895 the Dakota, California Grand Hotel at Niles was destroyed by a fire that started around 7:30 a.m. in the kitchen and rapidly spread to the livery stable.

On 8/30/1869 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania coal mine fire.

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On 8/30/1967 Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as Supreme Court justice.

On 8/30/1945 General MacArthur arrived in Japan.

On 8/30/1813 the Fort Mims massacre during the Creek War occurred, located about 35 miles north of present-day Mobile, Alabama, and was a battle where a force of Creek people, of the "Red Sticks" faction, stormed the fort and defeated and massacred the militia, settlers, and Lower Creeks at the garrison.

On 8/30/0030 B.C. Cleopatra committed suicide.