1920 — Sep 6, Fire, Houston Hotel and Apartments, Klamath Falls, OR — 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-8-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–10 Blanchard. We do not know where or how reports of 14 deaths first came to be reported, but we do not repeat that number. The local Klamath Falls newspaper, several days afterwards reported that investigations had determined but ten deaths and speculations that there were others were based only upon guesses that there might have ben unknown visitors to the hotel “doubling up” with known residents. The paper made clear it did not support that speculation. This fire continued to be covered in the Klamath Falls Evening Herald for quite some time afterwards, but we have seen no reporting of a discovery of another skeleton.
–10-15 Capital Journal, Salem. “Many Lose Lives In Fire Sweeping Thru Klamath Falls Block.” 9-6-1920, p1.
— <14 City of Klamath Falls, OR. “Press Release” [Houston Hotel Fire Marker]. 4-19-2012.
— 14 Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR. “1920 Houston Hotel fire…” 4-27-2012.
— >14 The Columbian, Clark Co., WA. “Klamath Falls…1920 hotel fire victims.” 4-27-2012.
— 10 Evening Herald, Klamath Falls. “Analysis Puts Death Toll At Ten.” 9-8-1920, p. 1.
— 10 NFPA. “Loss of Life Fires in Rooming and Lodging Houses.” Quarterly, 34/3, Jan 1942, 257.
— 10 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
— 9-10 Pomeroy & Allen. “Report on Houston Hotel Fire…” Quarterly [NFPA], V14, N3, 1921.
— >9 Bodies in morgue. Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, OR. “Identification…”9-7-1920, 1.[1]
Narrative Information
City of Klamath Falls: “A special ceremony to dedicate a new monument honoring the unknown victims of the Houston Hotel Fire will be held at Linkville Pioneer Cemetery on Saturday, April 28 [2012] at 11:30 a.m.
“The Houston Hotel fire of September 6, 1920, was the worst tragedy in Klamath Falls history. Two blocks of the business district were destroyed, and more lives were lost in the fire than in any before or since. The true death toll will never be known, but as many as 14 people died in the blaze, including many who were never identified.
“Previously unmarked , the burial site of these unknown victims will be preserved for posterity with an engraved tombstone. The marker for this historic event is the result of the successful cooperation of the Klamath County Historical Society in partnership with the City Parks Division….” (City of Klamath Falls, OR. “Press Release” [Houston Hotel Fire Marker]. 4-19-2012.)
National Fire Protection Assoc. “Loss of Life Fires in Rooming and Lodging Houses.” 1942:
“Hotel Houston, Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 6, 1920. Fire originated at the rear of a two and three-story frame building in the early morning hours preceding a Labor Day celebration for which the town was full of visitors and all rooms in this hotel were occupied. Excitement on discovery of rapidly spreading fire, lack of alarm system, lack of proper exits, inadequate fire department, and an insufficient water supply resulted in ten occupants losing their lives.”
Herald and News, 2012: “It was Labor Day weekend, 1920. Hotels in downtown Klamath Falls were packed with visitors in town for the holiday celebration. Rooms at the Houston Hotel at the corner of Main and Second streets were filled and people slept on cots in the hallways. At about 3 a.m., a pile of greasy rags ignited. City night patrolman M.L. Barnett spotted and reported the fire. Firefighters arrived to chaos. Flames by then had engulfed two blocks on both sides of the street. People on the hotel’s second floor were trying to escape using ropes dangling from windows. While the fire department struggled to access city water lines, the inferno grew.
“The next day, the annual Labor Day parade passed the smoking rubble of the Houston Hotel.
“The fire claimed the lives of at least 14 people, the deadliest blaze in Klamath Falls history. The victims were buried in unmarked plots in the Linkville Cemetery.
“More than 90 years later, those graves will be recognized when the Klamath County Historical Society dedicates a monument Saturday to the victims of the Houston Hotel fire. The Klamath Falls Parks Department will host a ceremony commemorating an engraved marker designating the burial site of seven of 14 fire victims. The ceremony will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. A tour of grave sites will follow the ceremony. “More lives were lost in this fire than any before or since, locally,” said Carol Mattos, a board member of the Klamath Historical Society. “For the future residents of this town, this needs to be marked so it is not forgotten.”
“The number of dead was disputed due to the amount of recovered remains that were too damaged to be positively identified as human, Mattos said.
“In a 1938 newspaper article, Keith Ambrose, fire chief at the time, remarked some remains were simply charred backbones entwined in blackened metal bed springs.
“The victims were interred in two plots, one holding a mother and daughter, and a second holding five other victims, although coroners disagreed on the number.
“The destructive blaze was among disasters that galvanized creation of fire codes in the 1960s, said Klamath County Fire District No. 1 Fire Marshal Scott Rice. It also had an immediate impact on the fire safety standards for hotels, said Elizabeth Budy, member of the Klamath County Historical Society. “It caused huge furor in the newspapers and it had a big impact on safety regulations,” she said. “It forced hotels to comply with safety rules more than a rope hanging from a window.” City Health Officer Dr. A.A. Soule was quoted in The Evening Herald in 1920 saying, ‘now is the psychological time to attack (other unsafe hotels) while the Houston Hotel tragedy is fresh in the public mind.’” (Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR. “1920 Houston Hotel fire: ‘This needs to be marked so it’s not forgotten.’” 4-27-2012.)
Pomeroy and Allen: “Acting under the provisions of the State Fire Marshal Law and the direct request of the Executive Department, which latter was prompted by a telegraphic appeal from Mayor I. R. Struble and City Health Officer Dr. A. A. Soule, of Klamath Falls, we, your deputies who conducted an official inquiry into the cause and results of the fire which occurred at Klamath Falls on the morning of Monday, September 6, 1920, beg to report our findings and conclusions as follows.
Findings of Fact.
“The fire started at the Houston Hotel, Second and Main Streets, at about 3:17 o’clock on the morning of September 6th, and so rapid was its spread that it assumed the proportions of a conflagration, in consequence of which nine (possibly ten) persons lost their lives; five others were seriously injured, and the Houston Hotel and nine other public buildings and dwellings were destroyed. The loss of property is estimated at approximately $100,000….
“The indications are that the fire started in the rear of the Houston Hotel, evidently from rubbish that was known to have existed there from time to time, but just how it originated is at present a mystery and, perhaps, may never be known. Whether it could have been prevented by judicious legislative safeguards or, after having started, it could have been subdued before it had exacted such terrible toll of death and property loss may best be judged by the transcript of testimony taken at the coroner’s inquest and our private hearing, which are hereto appended and form the basis of these deductions.
“The Houston Hotel, a three-story frame structure, owned by Z. G. Harris and lately tenanted by Mrs. Goldie Houston, has long been known as a veritable fire trap, altogether without facilities or furnishings in the nature of fire protection, prevention or escape—even without exit signs in its numerous hallways or any kind of signs whatsoever in the entire structure, except one in the office, which, according to the testimony of one of the seriously burned victims, who told his story between agonized groans in his hospital bed, exhorted the patrons to “Pay in Advance.” There were some knotted ropes dangling from the third story front balcony railing which masqueraded as emergency fire escapes, but they were known to have been so utterly rotten and unsafe that when the emergency arose none of the panic-stricken tenants would trust them.
“The building was three stories front and two back, having been constructed on sloping ground. It contained about 50 rooms, 40 of which were furnished and rented singly, while there were six apartments besides office and parlors on the ground floor. On the fatal night preceding a big Labor Day celebration, every room was occupied, some with two or more occupants, while four cots were provided and all occupied in the office. Some of the regular tenants conducted light housekeeping in the rooms and apartments.
Should Have Been Condemned.
“According to the report of your deputies, G. W. Allen and George W. Stokes, who made an official survey of Klamath Falls in September, 1919, at the request of Mayor Struble, a copy of which is now on file in your department, it was a dilapidated and dangerous affair, and should have been condemned and razed long ago in the estimation of the present and former fire chiefs of Klamath Falls, both of whom declare they would have condemned it had they been clothed with proper authority. The chimneys were supported by brackets, and some of the stoves and flues were in extremely dangerous condition, electric wiring bad, and there was but one (dry) fire extinguisher in the entire building, and many other outstanding features which, in the estimation of your deputies, as well as many citizens of Klamath Falls, constituted it a menace to the lives it contained, as well as to the community.
“The contents of a previous report by Deputies Allen and Stokes were well known to the Mayor, City Council, Fire Chief and other officials, copies having been furnished them, together with recommendations for the elimination of many designated hazards, including the Houston Hotel and many other structures in the city regarded as extreme hazards, and the most of which still exist (at the time of our investigation) without remedy. A series of drafts of model ordinances designed to correct and eliminate many of the fire hazards of the city and giving city officials authority to inspect properties and correct the evils found to exist were furnished the City Council of Klamath Falls.
Report Ignored – Ordinances Tabled.
“This survey report, read in open Council, was summarily dismissed by the “placed on file” route. The ordinances, one designed to regulate the storage of gasoline, another regulating the conduct of garages, another regulating the interior construction of motion, picture theatres and providing safe exits, and still another defining what constituted unusual fire hazards and providing for inspections and authorizing condemnations in extreme instances, never got beyond first or second reading, and all suffered the ignominy of being “tabled.” Each in turn ran up against objections and criticisms from interests directly affected, which was sufficient for its end. The city attorney was instructed to draft ordinances covering these protective features which would be satisfactory to all concerned, but they have never materialized.
“There is but one ordinance on the Klamath Falls statutes authorizing fire inspections by the Fire Chief and the elimination of fire hazards, but all cases of infractions must first be reported to the Mayor and City Council, and in no case is the Fire Chief permitted to take action without authority from these official sources. Cases on record are cited in which the fire chief has reported hazards to the Mayor without result, and in one particular case chronicled in the testimony of Fire Chief Keith Ambrose, appended hereto, in which he reported a particularly extreme hazard two or three times to the Mayor, only to receive the final orders to ‘leave it alone.’
“The Mayor and certain other officials of Klamath Falls showed a disposition to be resentful of and antagonistic toward the State Fire Marshal’s Department for the exercise of its good offices and legal functions in the promotion of fire prevention and protective measures, and have assumed the attitude that the government of Klamath Falls is competent to take care of its interests without outside interference. To substantiate the above, we quote a paragraph from a typewritten communication, dated January 23, 1920, to the State Fire Marshal, written on the official stationery of the city attorney of Klamath Falls, and signed I. R. Struble, Mayor :
“Personally, I fail to understand how the Fire Marshal’s office can assume jurisdiction over a matter of this sort, as this city is a self-governing community, and the people elect its officers to use their judgment in the government of the city. They should be more competent to know who are qualified to act as officials of the city than someone who probably has never seen the city in his life, or who does not live here.”
Facilities Grossly Deficient.
“When the Houston Hotel fire broke out there were only three persons on duty at the Fire Department, to wit: Fire Chief Keith Ambrose and two volunteer firemen. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Howard, the only, other paid fireman, was away on his vacation. The sole fire-fighting equipment available for combating the blaze was a triple combination, motor-driven truck, the capacity of which is 350 gallons per minute, and about 3,000 feet of hose, 1,500 feet of which was of comparatively recent purchase. The fire chief is also driver of the truck. He drove the engine to the nearest hydrant from the fire, where the two volunteers alighted and strung the first line of hose, and then drove on and strung the second and third lines alone. About this time Sheriff Humphrey and one or two other citizens arrived to render assistance.
“Competent witnesses, including the man who drives the street cleaning apparatus and the night patrolman, who were among the first to have been apprised of the fire, testified at the inquest and at our inquiry that it required from fifteen to seventeen minutes to get the alarm through central to the department. The night telephone operator says that the call was received and put through with dispatch. The fire was discovered at 3:17, and the alarm was not received at the department until 3:35, according to testimony. Certain it is that the department was late in arriving upon the scene, and the fire had gained much headway.
Water Pressure Fails.
“The water pressure during the early stages of the fire was very low. Had it been adequate or up to standard Fire Chief Ambrose is confident that he could have confined the blaze to the hotel at least, and saved all of the other buildings destroyed, and possibly could have saved the lives of some of the innocent victims. During the first few minutes of the play of the first line of hose there was fair pressure, all agree, but the pressure went off, some say, for a period of from ten to fifteen minutes, during which interval the heat became so intense that the fire fighters were forced to give ground. Several residents in the same block could get no water from their garden hose. One man could not get enough water in his house to cleanse his false teeth.
“Water system officials account for this serious deficiency in the face of such an emergency, when the first few minutes means the winning or losing of a battle against the fire fiend, as being due to the crossing of wires and shutting off of the current to the auxiliary pumper which supplies water directly into the mains. It was also admitted that one of the three reservoirs which supplies the city was shut while undergoing repairs. The water mains throughout the city are small and not at all in proportion to the growth and needs of the community. The pressure, at best, was not equal to the demand.
Conclusions and Recommendations.
“In view of the foregoing facts, deduced from the evidence submitted at the hearings, interviews with prominent citizens and other information gathered during our investigation, we are led to the following conclusions, and to the correction of the errors and evils as pointed out in these conclusions we most respectfully submit as our recommendations:
“The fire started from some unknown cause in rubbish at the rear of the Houston Hotel.
“The Fire Department is utterly lacking and sorely deficient in mechanical and other fire-fighting apparatus and equipment, and the manpower is far too low for a community of the size. (As a result of the fire, some extra men have been put on the fire-fighting force—at least temporarily.)
The water system, especially the mains in the business section, is wholly inadequate, as was evidenced by the failure of the pressure when put to the crucial test. The mains are those originally installed for the small town of a few hundred people, and their capacity is not at all in keeping with the industrial and population growth of the city.
“The fire alarm system is not in keeping with the community of Klamath Falls and its rapidly developing proportions and responsibilities.
“The city is deplorably lacking in fire prevention and protection ordinances, and sadly in need of legislation to cure the evils which exist at present and have been permitted to exist for more than a year past, and to clothe the fire chief with ample inspection and enforcement authority without being handicapped and hindered by petty political and factional strife and jealousies.
“Somebody Is Responsible.”
“The officials who shape the political destiny of Klamath Falls, from the mayor down, are men of sterling worth and unimpeachable character, so far as the results of our investigation disclosed. The great trouble seems to be that they are too easy-going–of the “it never has happened and, therefore, it never will happen” sort. They feel and appreciate their duties and responsibilities keenly; their motives are unquestioned, and their openly avowed ambition to clean up and rid their proud city of its deadly menaces may be sincere, but they seem to lack the courage of their convictions. They shrink from hurting anyone’s business or feelings, and their courage crumbles and fails before the least criticism or opposition until they have come, by force of habit, to choose the course of least resistance.
“The citizenship of Klamath Falls, too, is of the highest order of God fearing and God loving people. There is not a man or woman endowed with ordinary powers of observation and reasoning but is and had been aware of the dangerous conditions that have been threatening their community and home-life for many months. They, like the peoples of other communities, are so thoroughly imbued with the love of peace, harmony and prosperity that they dread the discordant agitation for betterment of civic conditions. Most everyone is “too busy making money” and having a good time to lend ear to the calamitous harpings for civic reforms. “Retrenchment in governmental affairs” along the line of cutting down budgets and lowering taxes is far more musical and harmonious.
“Chief of Fire Department Ambrose is particularly qualified for the position of chief, and is greatly interested in fire prevention and inspection work, and if given the 100 per cent co-operation by the city officials it is only reasonable to presume that the fire waste in Klamath Falls could be reduced at least 50 per cent, and possibly more.
Too Much ‘Passing the Buck.’
“The Mayor “passes the buck” to the Council and the Council passes it on to the people. Klamath Falls, however, has learned her lesson in the hard school of experience, heartrending and regrettable though it has been, of the frightful cost of lethargic indifference and dallying with the serious problem of civic improvement along preventive and protective lines, and we feel sure—at least we sincerely hope—that those precious lives have not been sacrificed in vain.
“We do not feel competent or called upon to place the blame for this terrible calamity. Nobody is willing to assume the blame or responsibility for the disaster personally, nor to point the finger of accusation toward any individual or group of persons. Yet, in the language of one of the leading members of the Klamath Falls clergy who delivered an eloquent sermon upon the occasion of the public and joint memorial service, held in respect to the victims whose innocent lives were sacrificed upon the altar of carelessness:
“Someone is responsible for this tragedy. Responsible to God, to the nation for the loss of its citizens, to the State and to the city, and, most of all, to the relatives of these victims. We are disgraced in the eyes of the whole State. We are branded as a community where the law is not enforced, and we are sunk low in our neighbor’s esteem. Let us admit our humiliation frankly and correct it by sincere reform.”
(Pomeroy, H. H., and Gilbert W. Allen. “Report on Houston Hotel Fire and Conflagration, Klamath Falls, Oregon.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 14, No. 3, Jan 1921, pp. 275-279.)
The Columbian, 2012: “Klamath Falls, Ore. (AP) — The remains were burned so badly there were questions about how many victims there were, but at least 14 people died in 1920 in a hotel fire in downtown Klamath Falls. The Herald and News reports…that the Houston Hotel fire on Labor Day of that year was the deadliest in the city’s history. The hotel was so crowded people slept in cots in the halls, and a pile of greasy rags ignited about 3 a.m. The victims were buried in the Linkville Cemetery, in unmarked plots.” (The Columbian, Clark County, WA. “Klamath Falls to remember 1920 hotel fire victims.” 4-27-2012.)
Newspapers
Sep 6, Capital Journal, Salem, OR: “Klamath Falls, Sept. 6. – From ten to fifteen persons are believed to have burned to death here early today in a fire which destroyed the Hotel Houston and opera house and other business and dwelling houses nearby. Nine bodies have been taken from the ruins of the hotel, which had been filled with people here for the Labor day celebration.
“Origin of the fire has not been ascertained. Two entire blocks of buildings were destroyed and city officials say the loss of life may exceed over the estimated fifteen inasmuch as there was no way of ascertaining how many strangers were occupying rooms in homes adjacent to the hotel which was destroyed.
“Five of the bodies have been identified. Four persons known to have been in the hotel have not yet been accounted for. The identified dead are:
Charles Horman, Klamath Falls.
Mrs. C. Bilderback, Ashland.
Miss Leona Bilderback, Ashland
Miss Margaret Hanley, chambermaid.
Shadrick.
“Among the unidentified dead is a girl of about 17 years of age, who is said to have come here from Medford.
“Mrs. Mary Campora, to whom a baby girl was born that Friday, threw the infant from a third story window into the arms of spectators, then jumped herself. The infant was uninjured, but Mrs. Campora sustained injuries which physicians say will not result fatally.” (Capital Journal, Salem, OR. “Many Lose Lives In Fire Sweeping Thru Klamath Falls Block.” 9-6-1920, p. 1.)
Sep 8, Evening Herald, Klamath Falls: “As far as the Herald is able to analyze from obtainable information, not more than ten deaths occurred in the Hotel Houston fire. Nine bodies have been recovered. That they are human frames is beyond dispute. The tenth case in the morgue is a collection of bones that is possibly a body.
“The 35 rooms in the house are all accounted for in the list published in yesterday’s Herald….Checking over the list accounts for all the roomers except the known dead and missing, nine in number and an unknown roomer in No. 8, ten in all….
“Checking over the list of guests leaves but one theory to support a death toll in excess of ten, that is the ‘doubling up’ of roomers without the knowledge of the hotel management but such a theory is far fetched and is disproved in many cases by the slightest examination of the facts. Careful examination would doubtless disprove it entirely.
“The Herald will accept ten deaths as the complete list until there are further developments to warrant a different belief.” (Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, OR. “Analysis Puts Death Toll At Ten.” 9-8-1920, p. 1.)
Sources
Capital Journal, Salem, OR. “Many Lose Lives In Fire Sweeping Thru Klamath Falls Block.” 9-6-1920, p. 1. Accessed 3-8-2025: https://newspaperarchive.com/salem-capital-journal-sep-06-1920-p-3/
City of Klamath Falls, OR. “Press Release” [Houston Hotel Fire Marker]. 4-19-2012. Accessed 3-20-2013: http://ci.klamath-falls.or.us/sites/ci.klamath-falls.or.us/files/Press%20Releases/2012%5C/04-19-2012%20%20Houston%20Hotel%20Fire%20Marker.pdf
Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, OR. “Analysis Puts Death Toll At Ten.” 9-8-1920, p. 1. Accessed 3-8-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/klamath-falls-evening-herald-sep-08-1920-p-1/
Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, OR. “Identification Is Proving To Br Hard Task.” 9-7-1920, p. 1. Accessed 3-8-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/klamath-falls-evening-herald-sep-07-1920-p-1/
Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR. “1920 Houston Hotel fire: ‘This needs to be marked so it’s not forgotten.’” 4-27-2012. Accessed 3-20-2013 at: http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/news/frontpage/article_dfbbf5d6-9029-11e1-9faa-001a4bcf887a.html
National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)
Pomeroy, H. H., and Gilbert W. Allen. “Report on Houston Hotel Fire and Conflagration, Klamath Falls, Oregon.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 14, No. 3, Jan 1921, pp-275-279.
The Columbian, Clark County, WA. “Klamath Falls to remember 1920 hotel fire victims.” 4-27-2012. Accessed 3-20-2013:
http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/apr/27/klamath-falls-to-remember-1920-hotel-fire-victims/
[1] “While there is comparatively conclusive evidence that more persons perished in the Houston hotel fire yesterday morning, Deputy Coroner C. C. McCoppen has been able to positively identify the members of only nine bodies. These are now in the county morgue….Meanwhile the bones of the unfortunates are in the morgue in a temporary state of preservation. Their burned condition precludes preservation treatment, and they will be buried as soon as it becomes evident that identification is impossible…”