1943 — Feb 11, Fire and Suffocation (elderly), Convalescent Home, Sioux Falls, SD — 7
— 7 AP. “Nursing Home Fire Claims Seventy Life.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-22-1943, p. 2.
— 7 NFPA. “Multiple-Death Fires in Nursing Homes & Homes for the Aged, 1921-1978 (list).”
Narrative Information
Feb 12: “Sioux Falls, Feb 12 — (AP) — Suffocating smoke and flame claimed the lives of four elderly patients in a fire at a convalescent home here last night. Three of five other persons taken to hospitals from the home were reported in critical condition. The dead are:
Mr. and Mrs. William McKee, both past 70.
Mrs. Josephine Moore, 78.
Mrs. Kate Fulford, 87.
“Two other patients, Miss Rosina Palmer, 91, and Mrs. Joanna Anderson, 70, were listed as critical on admission to hospitals. Mrs. Mae Paulson, 61, a nurse, was also reported in critical condition. B. K. Graville, operator of the home, housed in a two-story frame building across the street from McKennan Hospital, suffered lesser injuries….
“All occupants of the home were believed to be from Sioux Falls or its near vicinity.
“Rescuers assisted six elderly patients to safety. A large part of the nursing staff at McKennan Hospital rushed to give assistance to police, firemen and ambulance drivers in removing the aged persons from the house….
“Fire Chief Carl Hunt said the blaze, discovered about 9:30 p.m. by a neighbor, started in the basement but its cause has not been determined. Smoke and flames shot to the top of the house through a clothes chute.
“Coroner Alven Iverson reported only slight burns were found on the bodies of the four that died. All deaths, he said, were apparently due to suffocation and shock, aggravated by the advanced age of the patients.
“The fire was destructive only in the basement and was checked quickly, Fire Chief Hunt reported.” (Associated Press. “Four Patients in Sioux Falls Home Burned to Death.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-12-1943, p. 10.)
Feb 13: “Sioux Falls, Feb 13. — (AP) — Death of Miss Rosina Palmer, 92, today brought to six the toll taken by the fire Thursday night at the B. K. Gravelle nursing home. Cause of Miss Palmer’s death was listed as suffocation, the same cause as for the five persons who succumbed earlier. A former Valley Springs resident, Miss Palmer had lived here many years.
“Mrs. Mae Paulson, 61-year-old nurse at the home is suffering from a bronchial irritation arising from the blaze, her hospital reported. Mrs. V. McRobert, a patient, and Gravelle, operator of the home, also remained in hospitals but their condition showed steady improvement.
“Investigation of the fire, which started in the basement, has produced ‘nothing definite,’ as to the cause, Fire Chief Carl Hunt reported. He said, however, his department was ‘looking into two possibilities,’ and was ‘checking on the wiring.’….” (Associated Press. “Sixth Victim Dies as Result of Fire in Sioux Falls.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-13-1943, p. 2.)
Feb 22: “Sioux Falls, Feb 22 — (AP) — Injuries which she suffered in fire at a nursing home here February 12 proved fatal last night to Mrs. Lillian May Paulson, 62, practical nurse, bringing the death toll of elderly persons in the blaze to seven. The six other victims were all patients….Investigators attributed the fire in the B. K. Gravelle nursing home to clothing dropped on a hot pipe running beneath a seldom used cloths chute.” (AP. “Nursing Home Fire Claims Seventy Life.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-22-1943, p. 2.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Four Patients in Sioux Falls Home Burned to Death.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-12-1943, p. 10. Accessed 7-1-2017. Accessed 7-1-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-evening-huronite-feb-12-1943-p-10/?tag
Associated Press. “Nursing Home Fire Claims Seventy Life.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-22-1943, p. 2. Accessed 7-1-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-evening-huronite-feb-22-1943-p-2/?tag
Associated Press. “Sixth Victim Dies as Result of Fire in Sioux Falls.” The Evening Huronite, SD, 2-13-1943, p. 2. Accessed 7-1-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-evening-huronite-feb-13-1943-p-2/?tag
National Fire Protection Association. “Multiple-Death Fires in Nursing Homes & Homes for the Aged, 1921-1978 (list).” In: United States United States Congress, House of Representatives. Boarding Home Fires: The Tip of the Iceberg (Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care, Select Committee on Aging, 96th Congress, First Session, April 25, 1979). Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979, pp. 312-314.