Today in Fire History 12/30

On 12/30/1903 a fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois left 602 dead, during the standing-room-only holiday matinee musical “Mr. Blue Beard, Jr.” at 3:15 p.m. Late in the second act, an arc light shorted igniting a muslin curtain; fire quickly spread to the fly gallery above the stage. Exits were hard to find and the hardware difficult to operate. The “fireproof” theater had been open for less than a month, located at 24-28 W. Randolph between State Street and Dearborn Street. The theatre had been constructed with three audience levels, the main (1st) floor (known as the "orchestra" or "parquet") was on the same level as the Foyer or Grand Stair Hall. The second level (the "dress circle") and the third level (the "gallery") were accessed through broad stairways that led from the foyer. The large backstage areas held dressing rooms on five levels, an uncommonly large fly gallery (where the scenery was hung), and an elevator. "The absence of an intake, or stage draft shaft; the exposed reinforcement of the (proscenium) arch; the presence of wood trim on everything and the inadequate provision of exits” were noted in the Fireproof Magazine before construction was finalized. An “unofficial” fire inspection days before the fire noted: “that there were no extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms, telephones, or water connections; the only firefighting equipment available were six canisters of a dry chemical named "Kilfyre", which was normally used to douse residential chimney fires.” Additionally, it was noted that “large iron gates blocked the stairways during performances to prevent patrons from moving down from the gallery to the dress circle or orchestra. Many of the exit routes were confusing.”… “The scene outside of the theater was completely normal and most accounts say that the fire was burning for almost 15 minutes before any smoke was noticed by those passing by. Because there was no fire alarm box outside, someone ran around the corner to sound the alarm at Engine Company 13. Things were so quiet in front of the Iroquois though that the first firefighters to arrive thought it was a false alarm. This changed when they tried to open the auditorium doors and found they could not, there were too many bodies stacked up against them. Another alarm was sounded as the firefighters tried to get into the building. They were only able to gain access by actually pulling the bodies out of the way with pike poles, peeling them off one another, and then climbing over the stacks of corpses. It took only ten minutes to put out the remaining blaze, as the intense heat inside had already eaten up anything that would still burn. The firefighters made their way into the blackened auditorium and were met with only silence and the smell of death. They called out for survivors, but no one answered their cry.”

On 12/30/2004 a nightclub fire killed 194 and injured 714 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Around 3,000 people were watching the rock group, Callejeros when the foam ceiling ignited from pyrotechnic flares. Four of the six doors were wired shut, most victims died from inhaling poisonous gases, smoke, and Carbon Monoxide (CO).

On 12/30/1860 three Milwaukee, Wisconsin firefighters died at the J.B. Cross' Block Building fire that was totally destroyed. The fourth and fifth floors of the block-square building were occupied by various city agencies. Numerous municipal records were lost in the fire, including $200,000. worth of mortgages in the clerk's office. The firefighters were killed when a falling wall crushed them to death. Bitter cold temperatures caused all but one of the steamers at the scene to freeze up.

On 12/30/1906 a Los Angeles, California firefighter was killed while operating at a fire on the third floor of a five-story brick Cohn, Goldsmith & Company, dealer in woolen goods at 216-222 South Los Angeles Street, in the wholesale district. “The second and third alarms were sounded as the fire spread upward to involve the fourth and fifth floors and roof of the building. While moving a hoseline on the fifth floor, he fell from a window and was killed instantly when he landed in a rear alleyway.

On 12/30/1917 a Hartford, Connecticut firefighter “died of the injuries he sustained while operating at Box 46.”

On 12/30/1923 two Medford, Oregon firefighters were killed when a wall between the auditorium and the stage collapsed without warning after a fire that gutted the Page Theater. They were searching the theater to make sure the fire was out.

On 12/30/1947 a Washington District of Columbia firefighter died while operating at a three-alarm fire in a four-story brick optical works at #711 G Street N.W. He was killed when he was cut off in the rear of the building by a wall of flames and his escape routes were all barred over.

On 12/30/1956 a Cottage Grove, Oregon firefighter “died as a result of injuries he sustained on October 28th, when he and several other firefighters were caught in an explosion at a propane plant fire. He was the third and last firefighter to die from the effects of the blast. One firefighter died on the day of the fire and the second died on November 18th.

On 12/30/1967 a Richfield, Wisconsin firefighter suffocated after apparently being knocked unconscious from falling debris during a fire in the upper level of a house. It was noticed that he was missing; his body was located in the attic of the house.

On 12/30/2006 a Denison Texas “firefighter died when he was struck by a collapsing awning while applying water to hot spots at a structure fire in a one-story commercial building. Two firefighters were trapped under the awning. Extrication efforts took approximately 10 minutes. The fire was reported at approximately 8:41 a.m. and firefighters were on-scene within 5 minutes containing the fire to the building. Interior firefighting operations were suspended after the fire intensified and firefighters worked to suppress the fire from the exterior. The open-web truss roof collapsed approximately 20 minutes after firefighters arrived on the scene. At approximately 9:10, the two firefighters stretched a 1¾ inch handline to the south end of the front of the structure to put water on hotspots burning in bundles of rolled roofing material located near the front of the structure. Minutes later, the awning broke loose from the front wall, rolled forward, and fell, striking both men and pinning them beneath the overturned awning. A third firefighter, at the north end of the building, was struck on the leg and foot by falling debris, narrowly missing serious injury… The structure involved in this incident was a one-story Type III ordinary construction commercial building built in the early 1960s. The structure consisted of concrete block, brick, and poured-in-place concrete walls on a concrete slab foundation. The building dimensions were 45 feet wide by 130 feet long providing approximately 5,800 square feet of floor space. The building was originally divided into 5 separate store areas, each having doorway access to the street. The commercial building faced west with head-in parking separating the building from the street. The Alpha side (front) contained large plate windows and doors for entrances to the different businesses located within the building. The Bravo side wall was constructed of stacked concrete blocks and bricks. The Charlie and Delta side walls were poured concrete. The majority of the Charlie and Delta walls were below grade. A triangular-shaped awning constructed of 2” X 4” framing lumber, plywood sheeting, and covered with asphalt shingles extended across the front of the building. The awning measured approximately 6-feet 8-inches x 6-feet 8-inches x 9-feet. The awning was connected to 18-inch steel beams of various lengths that extended end-to-end across the front wall directly above the windows and doors and to concrete blocks stacked above the steel beams. The building had a flat roof constructed of plywood sheeting covered with layers of tar. The structure was approximately 16 feet high at the top of the awning. The roof was supported by open-web pin-connected parallel chord wood and metal trusses. The top and bottom chords of these trusses were constructed using wooden lumber measuring approximately 2-inch x 3 ½-inches. The metal webs were constructed from metal tubing of approximately one-inch diameter. The only static load on top of the roof was an air-conditioning condenser unit located near the rear wall at the north end of the structure that serviced the retail facilities at the north end. The bottom side of the trusses supported a suspended ceiling system and electrical junction boxes. There were no firewalls in place separating the different businesses and the structure had a common truss void above the suspended ceiling. At the time of the incident, the building was divided into three separate areas. The northern end of the building contained a large-appliance sales and repair business. The center area was used by the building owner as an office and storage space for several businesses. The south end of the building contained a laundry that was closed at the time of the incident and was used by the owner to store roofing materials and supplies.

On 12/30/2019 four children died after they were trapped inside a home that caught fire. “Miami (Florida) firefighters responded to a residential fire at 3621 NW 18th Terrace just before noon with reports of children trapped inside a burning home. Within four minutes of receiving the 911 call, firefighters were at the scene and entered the home to free the occupants, believed to be children between the ages of 1 to 12. Neighbors said firefighters emerged from the home a short time after entering it with the children and administered CPR to at least one of the victims. All four children, as well as two women, were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.”

On 12/30/2014 four buildings containing more than a dozen businesses were destroyed by a fire in Dubois, Wyoming in temperatures near 25°F below zero.

On 12/30/2013 a 112-car train carrying grain derailed and collided with a 106-car eastbound train carrying crude oil, outside Casselton, North Dakota, a town of about 2,400 residents near Fargo, setting off a fire that burned at least 21 cars, forcing residents to evacuate as plumes of black smoke rose and spread from the crash site. The accident points to the dangers of rail transport of crude oil, rail is the primary mode of transport for Bakken crude coming out of North Dakota, which was producing more than its existing pipeline network can carry, rail transport of crude increased by 44 percent from 2012 to 2013.

On 12/30/1922 in Ardmore, Oklahoma a rooming house fire left one dead and extended to two business blocks. A fire of unknown origin discovered at 1:30 a.m. driven by strong wind caused the blaze to spread to a half-block of frame buildings before fire fighting forces arrived. The railroad tracks prevented the fire from spreading to a thickly populated residence section.

On 12/30/1919 two blocks in the wholesale district of Tampa, Florida, bounded by the river and by Whiting and Washington Streets burned. “The business section was cut off from electric lights and power, and special police protection was provided to merchants after the fire, thieves robbed offices at the Citizens National Bank of small amounts while the fire was in progress.”

On 12/30/1908 the Bluefield Colliery Mine explosion killed thirty-seven Switchback, West Virginia. 

12/30/1908 the A. Abramson Clothing & Dry Goods Store fire started at 9:30 p.m. destroying the stock in Dallas, Texas.

On 12/30/1894 the Delavan House, a famous hotel, was destroyed by fire in Albany, New York. The hotel was the center of big state political events for 40 years, and the political headquarters of both Mr. Fish and Mr. Maltby, both candidates for speaker of the assembly. The fire rapidly spread up the elevator shaft, the front staircase, and corridors, cutting off escape routes of the five-story 50-year-old building with no outside fire escapes; leaving trapped occupants to use rope fire escapes.

On 12/30/1862 a Civil War ironclad ship the U.S.S. Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

On 12/30/1916 Grigory Rasputin, a self-fashioned Russian "holy man," was murdered by nobles eager to end his sway over the royal family. The Siberian-born peasant had won the favor of Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra through his ability to stop the bleeding of their hemophiliac son. In their plot, the nobles lured Rasputin to Yusupovsky Palace, where they attempted to poison him. Seemingly unaffected by the large doses of poison placed in his wine and food, he was finally shot at close range and collapsed. A minute later he rose, beat one of his assailants, and attempted to escape from the palace grounds, where he was again shot. Rasputin, still alive, was then bound and tossed into a freezing river.

On 12/30/1922 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established in post-revolutionary Russia comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation.