1946 — Feb 2, Explosion and Fire, Jennings Hall Home for Aged, Garfield Heights, OH– 14
— 14 Babcock, C. I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly [NFPA], V51/N1, July 1957, 37
— 14 Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults.
— 14 NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection. 1954, p. 35.
— 14 NFPA. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for…Aged…” Quarterly, 39/4, April 1946, 277.
— 14 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
— 13 Fresno Bee (CA). “Ohio Fire Killing 13 Stirs Three Inquires,” February 4, 1946, p. 5.
—>13 Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged…” 2-4-1946, 1.
Narrative Information
Babcock: “…the fire in Garfield Heights, Ohio in 1946 that took 14 lives and the Largo, Florida fire of 1953 which killed 33 are ample justification for the sections of the Building Exits Code which require that walls and ceilings of corridors, passageways and stairways in existing buildings shall not have a flame spread of greater than 75 as determined by the tunnel test, and not greater than 20 in new buildings.” [p.37] ….
“Fourteen occupants of a nursing home lost their lives in a fire at Garfield Heights, Ohio in 1946….Looking at this building from the outside and noting that it was only one story high and had several wide exits, one might be excused for thinking that the occupants had nothing to fear from fire. Inside, however, the picture changed since the large undivided attic, the highly combustible interior finish and the absence of automatic protection suggested several ways in which fire could endanger the occupants. This tragic fire started in the attic and since there was no automatic means provided for discovering fire, it developed unbeknown to the occupants until it burst through the ceiling and flashed over the combustible interior.” [pp. 44-45] (Babcock, Chester I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1957, pp. 35-49.)
Jennings: “At approximately 2:00 p.m. an explosion and crackling of flames was heard, and the fire spread quickly due to the whipping February wind. While the heroism of the Sisters, bystanders and the firemen (from Garfield Heights, Cleveland, Maple Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Bedford) saved 48 lives, we will not forget the 14 who died on that day. The building was a complete loss from the fire damage, and residents moved to temporary housing at the Sisters of the Holy Ghost convent, with family members, at Little Sisters of the Poor and at Saint Joseph Home.”[1] (Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults. “February 2, 1946: We will not forget: Jennings Hall destroyed by fire.”)
National Fire Protection Association: “Fourteen inmates of the Catholic Home for the Aged at Garfield Heights, Ohio, lost their lives when a fire flashed through the building shortly after 2:15 P.M. on February 2, 1946. The origin of the rapidly spreading fire is still the subject of a coroner’s jury investigation and its exact cause has not yet been determined.
“The structure was an unusual type with one-story, full-basement and an attic without draft stops, 13,200 sq. ft. in area. The first floor (approximately six feet above grade) was reinforced concrete, with laminated plywood panel exterior walls, ceilings, and partitions built above the first floor. Information regarding the grades of plywood used in the structure is not available.
“It is reported that the building exit facilities were sufficient for a building of ordinary combustibility of this size, though considering the extremely rapid spread of fire throughout the building’ and the physical condition of the occupants, they were tragically inadequate. Newspaper accounts state that many of the 62 residents were ill in bed, several were crippled, one man was blind, and that the fire spread so rapidly that many were unable to leave their rooms. Several of the residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts.
“It is reported that the fire was preceded by an explosion. It is believed that an accumulation of hot gases in the attic space had passed unnoticed until the explosion occurred.
“The Garfield Heights Fire Department responded, and as the building was already badly involved, called for assistance from Cleveland, Cuyahoga Heights, Maple Heights, and Bedford Fire Departments. In addition, physicians and nurses, with Red Cross hospital supplies, were summoned to the scene by radio. The extremely rapid spread of fire forced the Garfield Heights Fire Department, upon arrival, to confine its efforts to rescue work. A 22 mile per hour wind and the lack of fire walls or fire doors which would confine the fire to any one part of the building contributed to the rapidity with which the fire spread throughout the structure. Attendants of the home had attempted to fight the fire with pails of water, and when this action failed, an alarm was transmitted to the fire department by telephone.
“In all, eight engine companies used fourteen hose streams in an effort to extinguish the fire. Their efforts in the face of heavy odds were unavoidably insufficient.
“The quick-burning characteristics of the structure above the first floor and the lack of automatic sprinkler protection to offset structural deficiencies, combined with a delayed alarm, are apparently responsible for the loss of life which occurred.
“An enclosed stairway to the fire-resistive basement prevented any downward spread of fire and is credited with permitting salvage of various materials from the basement area following the fire, indicating the advantages of fire-resistive construction for this type of occupancy.” (National Fire Protection Association. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for the Aged, Garfield Heights, Ohio.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, vol. 39, no. 4, April 1946, pp. 277-278.)
Newspapers:
Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 (AP) – Twelve persons of the 62 occupants of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, died today in an explosion and ensuring fire which swept through the one-story frame structure….The flash fire quickly engulfed the tar paper and thin walls of the structure shortly after an explosion at 2:15 p.m. (EST)….Some of the aged residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts, Sister Hyacinth reported. She gave this account of the fire, the century’s fourth major disaster in greater Cleveland.
I was in my office and the nuns were having prayer period in a neighboring building when I heard the explosion. I rushed into the hall (Jennings). The smoke was so dense I couldn’t see my hands in front of me. I rang a bell to alert the house and then tried to help get occupants out. In two minutes after the explosion, everything was on fire.
The sisters felt they would suffocate, but kept trying to pull the occupants out of their rooms. I didn’t see any flames because the smoke was so think, but the heat was intense.
In one room I saw a woman waiting calmly while firemen tried to free her from approaching flames. Just as firemen were about to reach her, her hair burst into flame and she perished.” (Big Spring Daily Herald (TX). “Twelve Persons Die In Cleveland Blaze,” February 3, 1946.)
Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (AP) – Twelve of the 62 occupants of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, died today in explosion and ensuing fire which swept thru the one-story frame structure. Coroner Samuel R. Gerber reported all 62 occupants of the home had been accounted for and that a final check disclosed a death toll of 12. Previous estimates were that the toll might reach 40. Seven persons still remained in hospitals but the condition of one was listed as critical by the coroner. Five other occupants were given emergency treatment at local hospitals but later were sent to homes of relatives or friends.
“The flash fire quickly engulfed the tar paper and thin frame walls of the structure shortly after an explosion at 2:15 p. m. (EST).
“A ‘thorough investigation’ of the blaze will be made, Coroner Gerber said.
“Loss was reckoned by Elmer Cain, second assistant fire chief of Cleveland, at $30,000. The one-story structure was completed June 1, 1942, and named for Msgr. Gilbert P. Jennings, late pastor of St. Agnes Catholic church, who left the bulk of his estate for erection of the home.
“Some of the aged residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts, Sister Hyacinth reported.[2] She gave this account of the fire, the century’s fourth major disaster in Greater Cleveland.
I was in my office and the nuns were having prayer period in a neighboring building when I heard the explosion. I rushed into the hall (Jennings). The smoke was so dense I couldn’t see my hands in front of me. I rang a bell to alert the house and then tried to help get occupants out. In two minutes after the explosion everything was on fire.
The sisters felt they would suffocate, but kept trying to pull the occupants out of their rooms. I didn’t see any flames because the smoke was so thick, but the heat was intense.
In one room I saw a woman waiting calmly while firemen tried to free her from approaching flames. Just as firemen were about to reach her, her hair burst into flame and she perished.
“Sister Mary Martha, who was baking in the basement of the hall, said the explosion sounded as if it were from above stairs. ‘It rocked the place so severely I was sure a bomb had dropped,’ she related. ‘When I rushed from the basement, the whole place was on fire.’
“The home’s chaplain, Father Augustine Bena, who rescued three persons, expressed the opinion the explosion occurred in the gas furnace with which the hall was heated, but fire department officials said the cause had not been determined.
“One of tho first witnesses to reach the scene was Councilman John Brachowski of Garfield Heights, and chief of the suburb’s safety commission. He observed fire at the west end of the structure, and added that he could not get across the street from his automobile before the building was wreathed in flames. Brachowski helped pull two injured from the hall.
“An unidentified bus driver from the Garfield Transit line helped rescue at least 10 other persons, then departed before his name could be learned. Among those he rescued was Mrs. Alice Haynes, 78, of Akron, O.
“Mrs. Eugenia Marie Lease, 80, a former Baltimore resident, said she was in her room at the eastern edge of the building when she heard Sister Hyacinth scream: “Fire. Fire!’’ ‘I opened my door and black smoke poured in,’ she continued. ‘I tried to lead Mrs. Mary Eihler, who is 86 and my roommate, out thru the hall. Mrs. Eihler is blind. The dense black smoke blinded me, and I lost contact with Mrs. Eihler. While I was groping in the darkness for her, Father Bena came along and led me and two other women thru the hall to safety. ‘We were fortunate to be living in the east end of the structure. That fact saved our lives. As we went thru the halls we could hear the horrible screams of those trapped in their rooms or in the halls.’ The tow other women led to safety by Father Bena were Mrs. Susie Zvololnck, 66, and Mrs. Mary Arenat, 84.
“Janitor Louis Zodec, 72, was cut in leaping to safety thru a window. He reported the ‘smoke and flames so bad that I just jumped right thru the glass.’….
“Neighbors helped frenziedly in rescue efforts until fire companies from the city of Cleveland, Maple Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Bedford arrived to combat flames in the sub-freezing temperature. More than five hours after the explosion, firemen still searched thru the smoldering ruins for persons missing….” (Lima News, OH. “12 Dead in Cleveland Fire.” 2-3-1946, p. 1.)
Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (AP) – Known dead in the Jennings Hall fire, announced by Coroner Samuel R. Gerber: (Home towns and ages unavailable immediately, but all between 62 and 92 years of age.)
Mrs. Mary Murphy.
Mrs. Mary Eihler.
Mrs. Mary Reilly.
Mrs. Carrie Krause.
Mrs. Margaret Donovan.
Mrs. Ellen Burke.
Mrs.____Kunzcla (first name unavailable.)
Miss Hannah Reich.
Casimer Uadovich.
Mrs. Mary Carleton.” (Lima News, OH. “Cleveland Fire Dead are Named.” 2-3-1946, 1.)
Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (INS) – The charred front wall and brick foundations stood tonight on a windswept block in suburban Garfield Heights – the remains of ‘home’ for 62 aged people. Within the blackened and twisted ruins of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, the lives of at least 12 persons were snuffed out by wild flames this afternoon. Patrolman John Rawlin, of the suburb’s police department, told of watching 12 bodies carried from the T-shaped frame building, which burned like flax, according to one woman who escaped. Three bodies were found in one room in the front wing and others in adjoining and nearby rooms, according to the patrolman, who was one of the first persons to reach the tragedy scene.
“The discovery of the charred body of an aged guest found a scant 15 feet from the west wing exit told a dramatic story of a near-escape. The victim apparently managed to fight his way to that point before smoke and flames claimed his life.
“As the aged guests were rescued from the mass of flames and blanket of smoke, they were led by Sisters of the Holy Ghost, who are in charge of the home, to their convent….” (Lima News, OH. “Only Charred Walls Left of Home for Aged People.” 2-3-1946, p. 1.)
Feb 4: “Cleveland, Feb. 4 – (AP) – Investigations by at least three separate groups were under way today in the Saturday fire which took the lives of 13 inmates of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged in suburban Garfield Heights. Cuyahoga County Coroner Samuel R. Gerber said his office is conducting an investigation and probes also are being made by the Garfield Heights fire department and state fire wardens. Death toll in the flash fire rose to 13 yesterday when…[an 84-year-old male] succumbed to burns. Seven persons remain in hospitals.” (Fresno Bee, 4 Feb 1946.)
Feb 4: “At least 13 persons were burned to death and more than 30 injured when a flash fire razed the Jennings Hall Home for the Aged in Garfield Heights, a Cleveland suburb. Of the 62 aged men and women housed in the one-story building, almost a score were unaccounted for immediately after the fire…” (Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged Near Cleveland.” 2-4-1946, p. 1.)
Sources
Babcock, Chester I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1957, pp. 35-49.
Fresno Bee, CA. “Ohio Fire Killing 13 Stirs Three Inquires,” 2-4-1946, p. 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=39326244
Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults. “February 2, 1946: We will not forget: Jennings Hall destroyed by fire.” Accessed 5-12-2013 at: http://jenningscenter.org/who-we-are/history/
National Fire Protection Association. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection (11th Ed.). Boston, MA: NFPA, 1954, pp. 33-36.
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.
National Fire Protection Association. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for the Aged, Garfield Heights, Ohio.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, vol. 39, no. 4, April 1946, pp. 277-278.
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.)
Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged Near Cleveland.” 2-4-1946, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=150342207&sterm
[1] The next entry notes that a new Jennings Hall opens on May 6, 1949.
[2] A sidebar with Sister Hyacinth’s photo states that she “was in charge of the home” and was a “heroine of the fire” in that “Before firemen arrived, she rescued six of the residents from the roaring inferno before her own clothes caught fire and were torn off her.”