1928 – April 20, Fire, Alexander Industries Plane Plant, Englewood, CO — 11

lornajarrettblanchard April 20, 1928

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 2-17-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 11 Giudice, Vinny Del. “Major Fires, 19^th & 20^th Centuries. Denver Fire Journal (website).

— 11 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

Narrative Information

City of Englewood: “Alexander Industries started out as a film company before they started building airplanes. Alexander Industries began as a movie company that produced advertising films. The company’s success accidentally led the Alexander brothers into the airplane business. In an effort to speed up the delivery of their films, they bought a second-hand plane. The plane was not satisfactory, so they built a plane of their own. The plan was to build a few planes for the company to deliver their films, but Alexander Industries ended up manufacturing one of the most successful airplanes of that time, the Eagle Rock bi-plane.

“In April 1928, a suspicious fire broke out at the factory, killing 11 workers and causing the closure of the plant. After the fire, the Alexander Industries property reverted to its original owner, Jacob C. Jones, and the main building later became the Englewood City Hall, Fire and Police Headquarters, and the Library.” (City of Englewood, Colorado. “Englewood History” (website ©2013).)

Denver Fire Journal: “On April 20, 1928, 11 people died in a fire at the Alexander Industries plant in the Denver suburb of Englewood. Many others were injured. The fire was preceded by a series of explosions in or near the paint shop. [Associated Press story in Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal of Dubuque, Iowa, other newspapers]. The plant manufactured aircraft and other machinery. The fire may have been caused by a short circuit in an electric fan. [AP story in Sarasota Herald-Tribune of Florida] Employee Richard Trenari, 21, said: “The flames spread rapidly and soon the whole of the west wing was in flames. It was a terrible inferno.” (Giudice, Vinny Del. “Major Fires, 19^th & 20^th Centuries, Colorado & Wyoming. Denver Fire Journal (website).)

Sources

Giudice, Vinny Del. “Major Fires, 19^th & 20^th Centuries, Colorado & Wyoming. Denver Fire Journal (website). Accessed 3-22-2013: http://www.denverfirejournal.com/major-fires.php

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.)