Today in Fire History 9/9

9/9/1989 a firefighter died and one was injured in a lumber warehouse fire in Seattle, WA. Upon arrival, the fire department found a large, approximately 295’ X 180’ heavy timber structure that had been abandoned for about two years with visible flames involving a 75’ X 75’ shed attached at the building's southwest corner. The building was scheduled for demolition; the piping for dry sprinkler systems was still in place, but the main control valve for the water supply to all sprinkler systems had been shut off. A fire officer and a firefighter working in a smoky section of the main building became disoriented and separated as they attempted to leave the area. “The firefighter was found and rescued by a firefighter from another engine company, the officer was not able to escape; he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.” –

9/9/1973 the three-story, wood-frame 30-room 100-year-old Sedgwick Hotel in Bath Maine was destroyed by a fire that killed three men and a woman and injured eighteen in a building with no fire detection or alarm system and no sprinklers that was reported to the fire department at 4:13 a.m. A ?-inch separation in a furnace chimney connector allowed fire to extend into a concealed space and burn estimated 1-? to 2 hours before breaking out into the lobby. “The fire occurred when carbonized wood in the tongue-and-groove wood ceiling for a boiler room ignited. The fire burned through the ceiling and entered the area between the wood joists. It then spread horizontally through joist channels and vertically through the hollow spaces of the non-firestopped walls. The fire burned into the lobby where it ignited the couch and was discovered.” –

9/9/2010 San Bruno, CA natural gas explosion killed four and destroyed a dozen homes. “The White House is seeking to tighten oversight of the nation's 2 million-plus miles of pipelines and more than double penalties for some safety violations. Legislation sent to Congress on Wednesday would pay for an additional 40 inspectors and safety regulators over the next four years. However, a spokesman for the American Gas Association, the industry trade group, said utility companies already spend billions every year to keep the network of gas pipes safe and that more inspectors and harsher fines won't improve safety.” –

9/9/1947 the Island Queen, a five-deck Ohio River excursion steamer explosion and fire killed twenty-three near Pittsburgh, PA on the at her Monongahela River dock just 45 minutes before departing on a scenic three-hour river cruise –

9/9/1907 San Francisco, CA the Cliff House, one of the best known, resorts of America, was destroyed by fire. “The Cliff House was ranked as one of the best known, resorts of America. Located on a rocky promontory outside the city, directly above the surf of the Pacific and overlooking the famous Seal rocks, it was a strong attraction for visitors, and from its broad porches hundreds of thousands of people obtained their first view of the Pacific.” –

9/9/1905 a five story frame grain elevator containing 845,000 bushels of grain was destroyed by fire in Chicago, IL at 27th and Wood Streets that may have started by spontaneous combustion in a wheat bin on the top story. –

9/9/1971 a riot at Attica prison, a maximum-security correctional facility near Buffalo, NY started and ended on 9/13 with forty-three dead including ten prison guards –

9/9/1956 Elvis Presley made his first appearance on CBS-TV's The Ed Sullivan Show.

9/9/1893 President Grover Cleveland's wife, Frances, becomes the 1st first lady to give birth in the White House when the couple's daughter Esther was born –

9/9/1863 the Union army captured Chattanooga, TN –

9/9/1543 Mary Queen of Scots was crowned at Stirling Castle –