On this day. . .1967-At 8:46 p.m. Box 16 located at Seventh and Curtin Streets began clanging in on the Gamewell gongs in the firehouses. City firemen had their work cut out when they arrived and found heavy smoke and fire showing from the large almost block long, two story brick building housing the Orbach Waste Company at 2343 N. Seventh Street. Fire raced through this large building packed with highly combustible rags, wastepaper and other waste produces. Fire Chief Bob Houseal, Sr., struck the general alarm on minutes after arrival of the first alarm companies and special calls went out for five more county companies. The flames of this very spectacular general alarm were visible many miles away. The building was wrecked and a total loss with damages set at $204,275. The last of the walls fell into the fire only an hour after the first alarm with the under control given at 10:45 p.m. Four firemen suffered smoke inhalation another suffered a foot injury. At one point the Millers Furniture warehouse to the north and the Bodwell Co. facility became serious exposure problems. All city apparatus plus the five county companies made this fire of four-alarm equivalent. Several rekindles were answered in the following weeks, some at the city dump where the debris was hauled off to. Origin of the fire was of suspicious nature but never exactly determined. (Today’s location is the Uptown post office branch on Seventh Street)
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:42:19 +0000
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