WEST WARWICK, RI – The Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. The fire occurred on February 20, 2003, at The Station, a glam metal and rock n roll themed nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlining band, Great White, which ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. A fast-moving fire engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. Some 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. Video footage of the fire shows its initial growth, billowing smoke that quickly made escape impossible, and the exit blockage that further hindered evacuation.

The fire, from its inception, was caught on videotape by cameraman Brian Butler for WPRI-TV of Providence. Ironically Butler was there for a planned piece on nightclub safety inspired by the E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago that had claimed 21 lives only three days earlier.  The reporter for the fire safety piece was Jeffrey Derderian, a WPRI news reporter AND part-owner of The Station. WPRI-TV would later be cited for conflict of interest in having a reporter do a report concerning his own property.

Those that perished as a result of injuries sustained in the fire are as follows.

Died at hospital

Pamela Gruttadauria, 33, Johnston, RI
Mitchell Shubert, 39, Newberry, Fla.
Linda Suffoletto, Glocester
Kelly Vieira, West Warwick

Died at scene

Louis Alves, 33, Lincoln, R.I.
Kevin Anderson, 37, Warwick, R.I.
Stacie Angers, 29, Worcester
Christopher Arruda, 30, Coventry, R.I.
Eugene Avilez, 21, Burlington
Tina Ayer, 33, Warwick, R.I.
Mary H. Baker, 32, Fall River
Karla Bagtaz, 41, Randolph
Thomas Barnett, 38, West Greenwich, R.I.
Laureen Beauchaine, 35, West Warwick, R.I.
Steven Thomas Blom, 38, Cranston, R.I.
William Christopher Bonardi, 36, Lincoln, R.I.
Richard Cabral, 37, Attleboro
Kristine Carbone, 38, Taunton
William Cartwright, 32, Pawtucket, R.I.
Edward B. Corbett III, 31, West Warwick, R.I.
Michael Cordier, 31, Westerly, R.I.
Alfred Crisostomi, 38, Providence, R.I.
Robert Croteau, 31, Fall River
Lisa D'Andrea, 32, Barrington, R.I.
Matthew P. Darby, 36, Coventry, R.I.
Dina Ann DeMaio, 30 West Warwick, R.I.
Rachel DePietro, 31, Providence, R.I.
Albert Anthony DiBonaventura, 18, North Dighton
Christina DiRienzo, 37, Plymouth
Kevin J. Dunn, 37, Attleboro
Lori Durante, 40, West Warwick, R.I.
Edward Ervanian, 29, Cranston, R.I.
Charline E. Fick, 35, Central Falls, R.I.
Thomas Fleming, 30, Worcester
Mark A. Fontaine, 22, Johnston, R.I.
Daniel Frederickson, 37, Coventry, R.I.
Michael Fresolo, 32, Worcester
James Gahan, 21, Falmouth
Melvin Gerfin, 46, Groton, Conn.
Laura Gillet, 32, Pembroke
Charline Elaine Gingras-Fick, 35, Central Falls, R.I.
Michael James Gonsalves, 40, Warwick, R.I.
James Gooden, 37, Cranston, R.I.
Derek Gray, 22, Dracut
Scott C. Greene, 35, Warwick, R.I.
Scott Griffith 41, Mission Viejo, Calif.
Bonnie L. Hamelin, 27, Warwick, R.I.
Jude Henault, 37, Lisbon, Conn.
Andrew Hoban, 22, North Kingstown, R.I.
Abbie Hoisington, 28, Cranston, R.I.
Michael Hoogasian, 31, Cranston, R.I.
Sandy Hoogasian, 27, Cranston, R.I.
Carlton "Bud" Howorth III, 39, Norton
Eric James Hyer, 32, Coventry, R.I.
Derek Brian Johnson, 32, West Warwick, R.I.
Lisa Kelly, 27, Swansea
Tracy King, 39, Warwick, R.I.
Michael Joseph Kulz, 30, Warwick, R.I.
Keith Lapierre, 29, Worcester
Dale Latulippe, 46, Carver
Stephen Libera, 21, North Kingstown, R.I.
John Longiaru, 23, Johnston, R.I.
Ty Longley, 31, Brookfield, Ohio
Andrea Mancini, 28, Johnston, R.I.
Keith Mancini, 34, Cranston, R.I.
Steven Mancini, 39, Johnston, R.I.
Judith Manzo, 37, North Providence, R.I.
Thomas Marion Jr., 27, Westport
Jeffery Martin, 33, Melrose
Tammy Mattera-Housa, 29, Warwick, R.I.
Kristen McQuarrie, 37, Coventry, R.I.
Thomas Medeiros, 40, Coventry, R.I.
Samuel Miceli, 37, Lisbon, Conn.
Donna M. Mitchell, 29, Fall River
Jason Morton, 38, West Greenwich, R.I.
Leigh Ann Moreau, 21, Providence, R.I.
Ryan M. Morin, 31, Alston
Beth Mosczynski, 33, Millbury Katherine O'Donnell, 26, Seekonk
Nicholas O'Neill, 18, Pawtucket, R.I.
Matthew James Pickett, 33, Bellingham
Carlos L. Pimental, 38, West Warwick, R.I.
Christopher Prouty, 34, Pawtucket, R.I.
Jeffrey Rader, 32, Danville, Calif.
Teresa Rakoski, 30, Taunton
Robert Reisner, 29, Coventry, R.I.
Walter Rich, 40, Attleboro
Donald Roderiques, 46, Fall River
Tracey Romanoff, 33, Coventry, R.I.
Joseph Rossi, 35, Seekonk
Bridget Sanetti, 25, Coventry, R.I.
Rebecca Shaw, 24, Warwick, R.I.
Dennis Smith, 36, Pawtucket, R.I.
Victor Stark, 39, West Yarmouth
Benjamin Suffoletto, 43, Glocester, R.I.
Shawn Sweet, 28, Pembroke
Jason Sylvester, 24, Coventry, R.I.
Sarah Jane Telgarsky, 37, Plainfield, Conn.
Kevin Washburn, 30, Franklin
Everett "Tommy" Woodmansee, 30, Alton, R.I.
Robert Daniel Young, 29, Taunton

This list of names if from The State of Rhode Island. Two families have asked that their names not be released.

WARD'S ISLAND, NY – The ring of picks and shovels resounded early today on Ward's Island. The little jutting rock in the swirling waters of Hell Gate was slowly digging itself out of the tragedy that descended yesterday on its crazed inhabitants when fire swept a ward of the Manhattan State Hospital for the insane, killing 22 patients and three male attendants.

Nineteen bodies had been recovered before dusk and removed to the city morgue, but six more remained in the ice covered ruins. These, it was feared, had been cremated, and superintendent MARCUS H. HEYMAN expressed doubt whether more than charred bones ever will be recovered.

While the excavators were at their task investigators prepared to study the blaze, which was believed to have been started by a violent blast in Hell Gate which broke the insulation of electric wiring, causing a short circuit.

It was a weary staff that arose this morning after heroic work which saved the lives of 300 patients trapped in the wing of the great building that burned. DR. HEYMAN was at his desk long after midnight, preparing his official report and allaying the fears of anxious relatives.

Calm After Wild Night.
A curious hush prevaded the island during the night. The bedlam of cries and ravings which ordinarily might have been expected were entirely lacking. Only one of the 1,600 patients who remained in the giant building clipped off one wing by fire was in a "camisole," as a straight jacket is termed on the island.

Indeed the whole population of the state's asylum in the East River, presented a plegmatic calm after the day or sorrow, a day on which the insane acted most sanely. The one unit of the 75 on the island that was attacked by flames housed, the most violently insane — men of homicidal tendencies, who might at any moment leap at the threatsof their rescuers.

But leap they did not. A few struggled as guards tried to push their way to safety through the smoke and flames, but not a single attack upon an attendant was reported.

"How do I explain it," said DR. HEYMAN. "Perhaps a subconscious feeling that something very unusual was happening and that it would be well for them to do as they were told. The insane soon come to rely absolutely on the guidance of their keepers."
"Personally I encountered one instance of resistance. I came upon a big, strapping fellow wandering about the grounds in light clothing. He threw off a hand I laid on his shoulder. "Take your hand off me, you have filled me full of electricity already," he said to me. I jolted him along until a burly guard came along and hustled him out."

"Meanwhile the state architect with a force of men was aiding in probing the debris of the burned wing while C. FLOYD HAVILAND, chairman of the state hospital commission was making a further examination of the ruins before submitting his report to Governor SMITH."

Investigators Begin.
The possibility that the district attorney's office might launch a fifth investigation also loomed. The sixth investigation in sight was being directed by the hospitals board of directors who met twice yesterday and has set another meeting for Wednesday.
A seventh investigation concluded last night by city detectives, resulted in a report to Detective Captain CAREY, that the fire in all probability had been caused by a short circuit resulting from the breaking of insulation. The detectives thought the break was caused by the Hell Gate blasting.

DR. HAVILLAND supported MR. HEYMAN in his statement that the building was greatly overcrowded. For this reason 176 patients were transferred to state institutions since January, but this only partly relieved the congestion.

A funeral barge moved down the East River shortly before midnight carrying to the Bellevue morgue, the 19 bodies that had been recovered. In only five cases was identification possible so thoroughly had the flames done their work. The bodies however, will be held at the morgue for possible identification later. JAMES R. HINNES, one of the victims was a veteran of the World War. His wife said he had returned from France with his mind greatly impaired.

MRS. HINNES said that her husband had escaped from the institution two weeks ago by hiding in a boat. Arriving at his father's house, he obtained fresh clothing and then had visited his wife and six year old daughters for two hours, before guards came for him.

Several other World War veterans perished in the flames.
That a fire many times as disastrous as that of yesterday may at any moment break out on the madman's island, was the warning sounded today by superintendent HEYMAN.

Was Only A Fire Trap.
Ward's Island is dotted with approximately 75 separate structures, 50 used to house patients. Of the entire number but two are fire proof, according to DR. HEYMAN, who asserts he has vainly implored the legislature for additional funds with which to protect his charges from fire. Yesterday's blaze destroyed but a part of a great building which, overcrowded as it is, sometimes shelters 2,200. The building is 50 years old and DR. HEYMAN quoted the state architect as expressing, after an examination yesterday, surprise that the whole structure had not been razed, as it was dry as tinder.

The island's fire fighting force is wholly inadequate, according to DR. HEYMAN. It has enough apparatus for an ordinary small town of 3,000 which with doctors and nurses is approximately the population of the island. But the trained personnel is lacking says DR. HEYMAN, who adds that he repeatedly asked for a chief and ten paid firemen, but got only the chief.

When a blaze breaks out attendants drop their work to fight the flames.
DR. HEYMAN said he had many requests now before the legislature for appropriations to protect the island against fire. His efforts, he said, began in 1917 when he bacame superintendent and made a survey of the institution's need.

Among requests now pending are one for $18,000 for further equipping the firehouse, and $15,000 for extending high pressure water mains as only one of these serves the institutions, and one for ten special attendants to serve as fire departments members.

The blaze began at approximately 2:40 p.m. in a first floor annex linen closet during a Sunday afternoon religious service. On the first floor of the main building, Lutheran minister Walter Schwane was leading a hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," when a scream was heard from one of the visitors who had noticed smoke near the room of her uncles. Concerned, she soon saw intense flames near the closet and screamed "Fire!" as she raced throughout the facility.

Within 30 minutes, the annex building became an inferno with local residents offering help in attempting to rescue residents. Eventually, the building's roof caved in, with flames shooting high into the air and smoke visible from 30 miles away.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, it was determined that a number of factors served as potential causes, including wood in the building that was more than 50 years old, coupled with thermostats often kept at 85-90 degrees to keep residents comfortable during the frigid winter months.

Ironically, the facility had been inspected just one week earlier by a state official. However, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the specter of arson was suggested by one State Police officer when it was disclosed that the sister of the Home's manager had run a similar facility in Hillsboro, Missouri in which 18 people died in a 1952 fire.

During the subsequent investigation, the notion of arson was dismissed as the final determination was that the blaze started from an undetermined cause. Despite this finding, the Home had been operating without a license, had inadequate fire escapes and had no sprinkler system. In addition, there was no alarm system or evacuation plan, while some residents were locked in their rooms, a common practice of that period.

The end result of those omissions came when Missouri governor James T. Blair signed a bill in March 1957 that established minimum safety standards for nursing homes in the state.

St. Hyacinthe, Quebec – Twenty-one persons were feared to have died early today in a fire that trapped more than 100 asleep in The College of The Sacred Heart here. The only victim identified was Brother JEAN BAPTISTE, 64, who leaped from one of the school's upper windows and died as he reached a hospital. Police Chief A. BOURGEOIS said six bodies had been reported taken from the still-blazing building and "about 25, maybe 30" persons still were missing.

The editor of the local newspaper said about 20 persons perished inside the school besides the brother.

21 In Hospital

Five brothers and 16 students were in St. Charles hospital. Four of them were reported in dangerous condition from injuries suffered in jumping from the four-story building or from exposure. The fire's origin was not determined. Apparently it had been burning at least 30 minutes when a passerby saw the flames.

The occupants were warned immediately and an alarm spread.

At noon firemen still were pouring water from 15 hose lines into the blazing wreckage, but made little progress in extinguishing it. They had not been able to get into the building to begin the search for bodies and said it "might be hours" before they could.

———-

Montreal, Canada – Seven persons were known dead after a fire swept the College of the Sacred Heart, a boarding school for boys at St. Hyacinthe, Que., and the town's chief of police said "about 25, or maybe 30" still were missing hours after the building had collapsed.

Police Chief A. BOURGEOIS said six bodies had been taken from the ruins of the school, operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and doctors reported another died later in a hospital. About 22 others were taken to the hospital, most of them in night clothes, through sub-zero weather.

The ruins of the school, on the outskirts of St. Hyacinthe, 35 miles east of Montreal, were being searched for more bodies. About 160 students attended the institution, which had a faculty of approximately 50.

Fought Fire 3 Hours

The fire chief said the blaze broke out about 2 a.m. and that his men had fought the flames for more than three hours before searchers could get near enough to look for bodies. Volunteer firemen aided the regular force. Some of the students were taken to nearby farm houses and police said on this account it was difficult to check quickly the number of dead.

As word of the fire spread through the town of 14,000 population, private cars began appearing at the scene and their occupants started digging through the debris, seeking to recover the dead. Every member of the hospital staff was called into emergency duty shortly after the first ambulance arrived with loads of injured. Travel over the snow and ice-coated roads was difficult for the ambulances.

Four Brothers Missing

Col. P. A. PULZE, head of the Quebec Provincial Police, said police at St. Hyacinthe had reported four members of the Order of the Sacred Heart, brothers in charge of the institution, were among those known dead. One was killed when he jumped from an upper story.

Col. PULZE said his reports were that "about 24" were missing. He added definite count of the dead was impossible until a thorough check could be made at the school and at St. Charles Hospital, in St. Hyacinthe, where most of the injured were taken.

Scranton, January 17 — Four girls were killed, ten seriously injured, and a score or more slightly hurt at a fire in the Imperial Knitting company's mill in Dix court, in the central part of the city this morning. Eighty-five girls were at work on the third floor when a fire broke out on the ground floor where some men were varnishing furniture in a warehouse. It quickly ascended the elevator shaft and drove the girls panic-stricken to the one window opening on the fire escape. The fire escape is one of those in which the last reach of stairs is held in a horizontal position by a wright and pully device. The girls first to reach this were afraid to descend it when they saw its far end moving downward. This cause a jam.

Many Jumped.

The girls on the upper part of the fire escape were crowding thos in front and all the time the flames and smoke were enveloping them. By the time the firemen arrived half of them had jumped, some of them from the third floor. Men from the neighborhood soon arrived and held the swinging portion of the fire escape so that its end remained stationary on the ground and the girls who had not jumped were being helped down when the firemen came and with their ladders rescued those who were jammed on the upper stretches of the fire escape.

Many girls were saved by being caught as they jumped. One colored man who caught a girl who jumped from the third floor was badly injured. He was helped away and his identity lost.

There was only one exit, a narrow hallway, besides the fire escape, and this hallway was cut off by fire and smoke.

The fact that many of the girls fainted and further impeded the narrow fire escape, added to the difficulty. Some of the injured girls deny that they jumped, stating that they were pushed over the railing by other girls who were crowded against them by others behind.

Building Eaten Out.

The whole interior of the building was eaten out by the flames, causing a loss of $75,000, most of which falls on the underwear company.

The dead are:

MARIE BUCKLEY, aged 19, of 222 Railroad avenue, broke her neck by jumping out of third sotry window, died in O. S. JOHNSON'S garage in Lee court, shortly after being taken there.
CATHERINE GRIFFITHS, aged 20 years, of Ridge street, jumped from third story window and fractured skull.
JENNIE RATCHFORD, aged 22, both arms and legs broken and internal injuries, was pushed out of third story window, died at the Hahnemann hospital.

The List of Injured:

KATHRYN MANOSKY, aged 18, jumped off fire escape from third floor, internal injuries, teeth knocked out, eyes and face discolored. Condition critical.
ANNA RYAN, aged 22, jumped from third story window, internal injuries. Condition serious.
FLORENCE WATRONS, aged, 19, jumped from fire escape from third story, internal injuries and compound fracture of both legs. Condition serious.
KATHRYN CLIFFORD, aged 19, burned about the face and arms and internally injured, jumped from fire escape. Condition serious.
ERNESTINE KOHN, aged 20, jumped from third story window, internally injured and badly burned about the face and arms.
MAY WHALEN, aged 20, fell off fire escape, badly shaken up and bruised about the body. Condition is favorable.
FLORENCE CUSIC, aged 19, internally injured from being knocked off the fire escape by a stream of water.

Daily Gazette and Bulletin Williamsport Pennsylvania 1908-01-18

On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois presented a matinee performance of the popular Drury Lane musical Mr. Bluebeard, which had been playing at the Iroquois since opening night. The play, a burlesque of the traditional Bluebeard folk tale, featured Dan McAvoy as Bluebeard and Eddie Foy as Sister Anne, a role that allowed him to showcase his physical comedy skills. Attendance since opening night had been disappointing; poor weather, labor unrest, and other factors had kept playgoers away. The December 30 performance drew a much larger audience, with every seat being filled and hundreds of patrons in the "standing room" areas at the back of the theatre. Many of the estimated 2,000 patrons attending the matinee were children. The standing room areas were so crowded that some patrons instead sat in the aisles, blocking the exits.

At about 3:15 P.M., the beginning of the second act, a dance number was in progress when an arc light shorted and ignited a muslin curtain. A stagehand attempted to douse the fire with the Kilfyre canisters provided but it quickly spread to the fly gallery high above the stage where thousands of square feet of highly flammable painted canvas scenery flats were hung. The stage manager attempted to lower the fire curtain, but it snagged. Although early reports state that it was stopped by the trolley-wire that carried one of the acrobats over the stage, later investigation showed that the curtain had been blocked by a light reflector which stuck out under the proscenium arch. A chemist who later tested part of the curtain stated that it was mainly wood pulp mixed with asbestos, and would have been "of no value in a fire."

Foy, who was preparing to go on stage at the time, ran out and attempted to calm the crowd, first making sure his young son was in the care of a stagehand. He later wrote, "It struck me as I looked out over the crowd during the first act that I had never before seen so many women and children in the audience. Even the gallery was full of mothers and children." Foy's role in this disaster was recreated by Bob Hope in the film The Seven Little Foys. Foy was widely seen as a hero after the fire for his courage in remaining on stage and pleading with patrons not to panic even as large chunks of burning scenery landed around him.

By this time, many of the patrons on all levels were quickly attempting to exit the theatre. Some had located the fire exits hidden behind draperies on the north side of the building, but found that they could not open the unfamiliar bascule lock. One door was opened by a man who had a bascule lock in his home and two were opened either by brute force or by a blast of air, but most of the other doors could not be opened. Some patrons panicked, crushing or trampling others in a desperate attempt to escape the fire. Some perished while trapped in dead ends or while attempting to open windows that were designed to look like doors.

The dancers on stage were also eventually forced to flee, along with the performers backstage and in the numerous dressing rooms. Many escaped the theatre through the coal hatch and through windows in the dressing rooms, while others attempted to escape via the west stage door, which opened inwards and became jammed as actors pressed toward the door frantically trying to get out. By chance a passing railroad agent saw the crowd pressing against the door and undid the hinges from the outside using tools he normally carried with him, allowing the actors and stagehands to escape. Someone opened the huge double freight doors in the north wall, normally used for scenery, allowing "a cyclonic blast" of cold air to rush into the building and create an enormous fireball. As the vents above the stage were nailed or wired shut, the fireball instead traveled outwards, ducking under the stuck asbestos curtain and streaking toward the vents behind the dress circle and gallery 50 feet (15 m) away. The hot gases and flames passed over the heads of those in the orchestra seats and incinerated everything flammable in the gallery and dress circle levels, including patrons still in those areas.

Those in the orchestra section were able to exit into the foyer and out the front door, but those in the dress circle and gallery who escaped the fireball were unable to reach the foyer because the iron grates that barred the stairways were still in place. The largest death toll was at the base of these stairways, where hundreds of people were trampled, crushed, or asphyxiated.

Patrons who were able to escape via the emergency exits on the north side found themselves on the unfinished fire escapes. Many jumped or fell from the icy, narrow fire escapes; the bodies of the first jumpers broke the falls of those who followed them.

Students from the Northwestern University building located north of the theatre tried bridging the gap with a ladder and then with some boards between the rooftops, saving those few able to manage the makeshift cross over.

Corpses were piled ten bodies high around the doors and windows. Many patrons had clambered over piles of bodies only to succumb themselves to the flames, smoke, and gases. It is estimated that 575 people died on the day of the fire; well over 30 more died of injuries suffered over the following weeks. Many of the Chicago victims were buried in Montrose, Forest Home, and Graceland cemeteries.

Of the 300 or so actors, dancers, and stagehands, only the aerialist (Nellie Reed), an actor in a bit part, an usher, and two female attendants died. The aerialist's role was to fly out as a fairy over the audience on a trolley wire, showering them with pink carnations. She was trapped above the stage while waiting for her entrance; during the fire she fell, was gravely injured, and died of burns and internal injuries three days later.

In New York City on New Year's Eve some theaters eliminated standing room. Building and fire codes were subsequently reformed; theaters were closed for retrofitting all around the country and in some cities in Europe. All theater exits had to be clearly marked and the doors rigged so that, even if they could not be pulled open from the outside, they could be pushed open from the inside.

After the fire, it was alleged that fire inspectors had been bribed with free tickets to overlook code violations. The mayor ordered all theaters in Chicago closed for six weeks after the fire.

As a result of public outrage many were charged with crimes, including Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr.. Most charges were dismissed three years later, however, because of the delaying tactics of the owners' lawyers and their use of loopholes and inadequacies in the city's building and safety ordinances. The only person convicted was a tavern keeper charged with robbing the dead. By 1907, thirty families of the victims had been financially compensated for their loss, receiving a settlement of $750 each (equal to $17,620 today).

The exterior of the Iroquois was largely intact. The building later reopened as the Colonial Theater, which was torn down in 1926 to make way for the Oriental Theater.

from Wikipedia

BUFFALO, NY – The company is located at the corner of Tonawanda and Martin Streets. (now Progressive Ave.) It is surrounded by several large lumber yards. Outside the danger from the lumber yards along the riverfront, the district is entirely free from inflammable material. The section is purely residential.  The firehouse itself is a brick structure, two and one-half stories high, with a large tower in the rear for the purpose of drying hose after returning from fires.  The building was built in 1894 and went into service in 1895. It is one of the best firehouses in the city and also one of the newest. 

In the house are stationed two wagons, one the heavy engine and the other the hose cart. The former is of the Sibly pattern, and has a pumping capacity of 700 gallons of water a minute. This engine is an old one. It has seen some heavy service in the department and is about to be replaced by a new one. The fire commissioners have had the matter under consideration for some time, and have reported that they will replace the old engine by a new inside of a month. This good news was received by the firemen with many manifestations of joy. The hose wagon is also an old one. It is a neat cart and somewhat lighter than the average hose wagon.   The engine is drawn by three large horses, two blacks and a sorrel. Their names are "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry." The hose cart is drawn by two splendid grey horses. The names of these are "Gaston" and Alphonse." 

Captain John H. Mack has charge of Engine Company No. 26. Captain Mack has been connected with the Buffalo Fire Department for the past 19 years. He has seen service with almost all the houses in the city and has a reputation in the fire business that any man could be proud of. Mr. Mack became a fireman in 1883. He was appointed to the position of fireman with hose company No. 1, when the latter company was headquartered on High Street. In April of 1892 he was promoted to captain of Engine No. 7, transferred to Engine No. 13, then transferred to Engine No. 26 in 1900.  The lieutenant is Peter J. Donovan, who has been 20 years in service with the Department.

The names of the other eight men employed in the house are as follows: Engineer, Hugh J. Dowd; assistant engineer, Michael McNamara; Engine Driver, William Smith; Hose Driver, Daniel Quinn; Firemen, Thomas Carroll, Michael Mulcahy, Timothy J. Blewett and Joseph Shear.

O'FALLON, IL – Fireman Henry P. Schwarz was born on September 19, 1887 in Kansas City, Missouri. His father died before he was born and his mother died shortly after. He was adopted by Matthias and Caroline Schwarz of O'Fallon, Illinois. The Schwarz family owned a furniture business that had a sideline in funeral undertaking. At the age of 13, Henry became licensed as an embalmer, the youngest in the State of Illinois. He practiced his profession for 45 years at the Schwarz Furniture and Undertaking Company. From his obituary: "He once operated the old Taylor Opera House where early motion pictures such as "The Birth of a Nation" were shown during World War I. Mr. Schwarz retired from the O'Fallon Fire Department after 40 years service in May 1946.

BOSTON, MA – Died during the collapse of floors at 347-357 Cambridge Street, 3 alarms Box 1356, (Cambridge & Charles Streets) which was sounded at 0257 hours, 0300 hours and 0322 hours. They both died of multiple injuries, Hoseman Willett was dead on arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital and Hoseman Walsh was dead when he was found several hours later. Hoseman McCarthy was severely injured. Hoseman Willett had 9 years and Hoseman Walsh had 6 years of service.

The first Fire Company was formed in 1832 called the “Washington Volunteers”. The first Chicago ordinance was passed November of 1833, prohibiting “ the passing of any stove pipe through the roof, partition or siding of any building, unless guarded by tin or iron six inches from the wood”. The penalty charge for this infringement was $5.00. Coincidently, if the violation wasn’t corrected within 48 hours the penalty was repeated. As a result of this ordinance the first Fire Warden named Benjamin Jones was appointed. In September of 1834, Chicago was divided into four wards – a Fire Warden for each. The fire Warden was paid to make monthly inspections to verify compliance, particularly of the stovepipe ordinance.

During October of 1834, an individual carrying a shovel of hot coal embers from one building to the next at Lake and LaSalle Street accidentally initiated a fire. The following day an article was printed in the Chicago Democrat Newspaper criticizing the city for its lack of competent authority at the fire. Consequently, another ordinance was immediately enacted indicating the Warden presiding in the district of the fire occurrence acts as the Chief in command; the remaining ward Wardens as his assistants. Additionally, a Warden had the jurisdiction to insist bystanders participate in the extinguishment of the fire and if met with opposition a fine of $5.00 was imposed.

In November 1835 yet another ordinance was created, however this one was two fold, a storeowner or dwelling occupant was ordered to provide one leather fire water bucket for each fireplace or stove in the building and hung in a conspicuous place. Hence if more than one fireplace or stove – that many fire water buckets were expected. Furthermore, the second part to this ordinance was a directive commanding owners and dwellers to go promptly to the scene of a fire with their very own personal fire water bucket, which was identified by the painting of their initials thereon. Of course, a fine was levied for negligence of the bucket ordinance and/or unwillingness to participate at the fire scene.

from www.ignitethespirit.org