Today in Fire History 8/7
On 8/7/2013 a powerful explosion from a gas leak ripped through a ten-story apartment building setting it on fire in Rosario, Argentina which left twenty-two dead and sixty-six injured. “People within a two-kilometer radius of the explosion, including 11 schools, were evacuated, as the gas supply to the building could not be cut off.” “The explosion occurred at 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of Oro?o and Salta Streets in central Rosario. Initial reports confirmed eight people dead, sixty injured, and fifteen people were missing; eight more deaths were later confirmed. Searches the following day revealed twelve fatalities. Of the people who were missing, some were found dead among the debris, while others were rescued. The search for survivors ended on August 13, with twenty-two people confirmed dead. A 65-year-old woman who had been injured died on October 8. The explosion was caused by a gas leak in a 30-year-old building. It severely damaged a nearby nine-story apartment building, causing it to collapse. The streets were covered with broken glass from damaged buildings. Gas and electricity were immediately disconnected, and the national government sent an Argentine Federal Police task force to the scene. The natural gas supplier, Litoral Gas, immediately began sealing the distribution pipe to the area. The Center for Ambulatory Medical Specialties of Rosario (Spanish: Centro de Especialidades Médicas Ambulatorias de Rosario) managed the information about the dead and injured, and tents were prepared for those left homeless. Firefighters and other workers found people trapped on the upper floors of buildings and evacuated them over adjacent roofs. Although the building was not destroyed by the explosion, a high risk of structural failure remained.”
On 8/7/1918 a Kansas City, Kansas firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained after being crushed by a brick wall in the Bulte Mill fire.”
On 8/7/1929 an Appleton, Wisconsin firefighter died while operating at the Service Bakery fire, 833 West College Avenue, where a kettle of grease was burning in the basement. “The firefighter entered the basement with two other firefighters. The two firefighters poured a tank of chemicals into the burning kettle. A cover was placed over the top of the kettle, but the grease kept burning inside. Using their spanner hooks, the firefighters attempted to lift the kettle, but it overbalanced and spilled the grease over the three firefighters. The two firefighters were on the far side of the kettle and had to dash through a wall of flames to get to the steps and the open air. Another firefighter, who attempted to run from the cellar to call for more help, slipped on the grease and fell into the flames, suffering burns about the neck and hands. In the meantime, the firefighter had emerged from the basement with his clothing burning. One of the firefighters attempted to tear off the burning garments. When that failed, the firefighter removed his rubber coat and wrapped it around him. Two other firefighters arrived with a blanket, and the flames were finally put out. The firefighter died from the burns he suffered.”
On 8/7/1932 two Chicago, Illinois “firefighters were killed when a four-story wall collapsed on them while they were fighting a fire at the Herrmann Warehouse on Goose Island. Both firefighters with Engine Company No. 30, were killed operating in the warehouse which was weakened by a previous fire on May 23, 1932. The two firefighters, along with two other firefighters, were operating hose lines on the third-floor fire escapes of the warehouse when the fourth-floor collapsed and forced the warehouse wall outward. Both firefighters fell with the wall and died on the scene when they were buried under tons of debris. Two firefighters stationed above them on the fourth-floor level also fell with the wall, but they were thrown clear of the debris and survived the fall. Following the fire, the Chicago Fire Department reported that they had responded to 42 calls to the warehouse between the May 23 fire and the August 7 fire. Baled cotton that had initially caught fire on May 23 continued to smolder throughout the summer, but Joseph Herrmann, the warehouse owner, had ignored multiple orders from the city to demolish the dangerous portions of the warehouse. Herrmann was found guilty of criminal negligence by a coroner’s jury investigating the blaze and faced a grand jury on charges of manslaughter.”
On 8/7/1950 a Memphis, Tennessee firefighter died “while operating at a fire involving a meatpacking plant, fifteen firefighters became trapped when a section of the roof collapsed onto a loading platform where the men were manning hose lines. The firefighter became pinned under several, heavy wooden timbers and was in respiratory arrest when found. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Another firefighter suffered critical injuries, which forced his retirement. He never fully recovered and died May 6th, 1961 as a result of injuries sustained.”
On 8/7/1959 a Roseburg, Oregon firefighter “was killed instantly when a truck full of dynamite and ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (AN/FO) exploded at Oak and Pine Streets. The August 7, 1959 incident is referred to as ‘The Blast’.”
On 8/7/1995 a New Kensington, Pennsylvania firefighter “was killed when he became trapped while trying to escape from a house fire during a flashover.”
On 8/6/2022 lightning struck “a crude oil storage facility on the northern coast of Cuba, igniting a fire that left dozens of people injured, 17 firefighters missing, and prompted the evacuation of some 800 people. The fire began at one oil tank during a thunderstorm on Friday evening (8/5), according to state news media, and spread to a second tank early on Saturday morning. The 17 firefighters reportedly went missing Saturday morning just as the second tank exploded around 5:00 a.m.”
On 8/7/2013, a fire damaged Nairobi’s (Kenya) International Airport which started at a very central part of the airport and made access difficult. The airport was closed as authorities contained the fire.
On 8/7/2010 large wildfires devastate Russia as pollution hits record levels.
On 8/7/1956 during transport seven army ammunition trucks containing dynamite exploded in Cali, Colombia; about 1200 died. The trucks fully loaded with dynamite departed the Colombian city of Buenaventura headed toward Bogota and stopped in Cali. Just after midnight, all seven trucks exploded in a quick chain reaction.
On 8/7/1907 the Marshalsea, Pennsylvania “insane asylum” fire killed one.
On 8/7/1998 the United States Embassies were bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, killing at least two hundred people.
On 8/7/1782 during the American Revolution General Washington created the Purple Heart in Newburgh, New York. The "Badge for Military Merit," a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word Merit stitched across the face in silver was designated as the "Purple Heart". It was awarded to only three soldiers during the Revolutionary War; the award was lost until 1927, in 1932, on Washington's 200th birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the "Order of the Purple Heart"
On 8/7/1942 during World War II US forces invaded Guadalcanal.
On 8/7/1959 a U.S. satellite photographed Earth for the 1st time.
On 8/7/1964 Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the President nearly unlimited powers to oppose "communist aggression" in Southeast Asia.