1955 — Aug 10, Explosion (sewer gas?) and Fire, Gateway Restaurant, Andover, OH — 22

–22 Jones, C. F. “Restaurant Blast Kills Twenty-Two.” NFPA Quarterly, V49/N2, Oct 1955, 87
–22 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
–22 Reading Eagle, PA. “Andover, Ohio, Blast Claims 22nd Victim.” 8-16-1955, p. 14.
–21 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

Narrative Information

Jones/National Fire Protection Association: “On Wednesday, August 10, 1955, an¬other tragedy occurred when 22 persons lost their lives in an explosion and fire of undetermined origin in a restaurant and dairy store in the small farming commu¬nity of Andover, Ohio. Seventeen other persons were injured and treated in near¬by hospitals. First aid was given to numerous additional persons who were in the immediate area at the time of the blast. In addition to the loss of life, there was an estimated $250,000 property dam¬age to the building contents and ex¬posures.

Delayed Fire Department Response

“The explosion took place at approxi¬mately 7:07 P.M. while the Andover Fire Department was answering a call in an adjoining township. When firemen re¬turned to Andover they found the restau¬rant and dairy store completely enveloped in flames. Fire-fighting operations were then immediately initiated in an effort to help with the rescue work and to prevent the extension of the fire to exposed build¬ings. However, by the time the Fire De¬partment had arrived, flames had already spread to a one story frame shoe repair shop and to the second floor of the Ohio Edison Building on the north, and to the plumbing and heating shop on the east.

“The automatic telephone exchange for the town, located across the street to the south of the scene of the explosion was put out of service leaving the town without normal telephone communication. Several minutes after the blast, an alert townsperson drove to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tower a quarter-mile away to request aid, using the railroad facilities to call nearby emergency organizations. Seventeen volunteer fire departments and nine ambulances responded to this appeal.

Events Prior to the Blast

“This area was subjected to a heavy rain and severe thunderstorm of about one hour’s duration immediately preceding the explosion. Streets were flooded and in some places the water was over the curbs.

“The sewers were unable to handle all the surface water. Eye witnesses stated the storm had abated about ten minutes be¬fore the explosion. Many persons inside the building were waiting for the water to recede so they could go to their cars parked on nearby streets.

“Customers who were in the restaurant prior to the explosion later reported they had been aware of a peculiar odor. This odor was not identified but one of the owners checked in the basement and then went outside to open a blocked surface drain in the sidewalk…While she was doing this, the explosion occurred in the building. By being out¬side at the moment, the part-owner’s life was spared.
Description of the Building

“Located on the east side of the Public Square in Andover, the building involved was a 50 foot by 90 foot two-story, frame structure with a restaurant and dairy store occupying the first floor. The second floor was vacant. A crawl space about two feet high extended under the front three-quar¬ters of the building. A small six-foot-high basement was located in the rear quarter of the building…

“The restaurant was on the south side and the partial self-service dairy store on the north side of the building. The res¬taurant kitchen was located in the rear southeast corner. Storage facilities and rest rooms were located behind a partition 27 feet from the rear of the building. The main entrance to the first floor was through two doors in the front or west side of the building. Two doors were located on the south side near the rear for service. Entrance to the basement was from the outside. Four 80-inch-wide plate glass windows were across the front and four double hung windows were on the south side.

“Gas was used for heating water and for cooking in the kitchen. The building was heated by an oil-fired hot air furnace in¬stalled in a dug out area near the north¬west corner of the basement.

“The furnace was not in use at the time of the explosion. It sat on the ground with an electric driven sump pump nearby. Oil was supplied to the furnace from a 275-gallon fuel oil tank in the southeast corner of the basement. The basement also contained a number of electrically driven refrigerating units for the equipment utilized in the dairy store.

“Ventilation for the building was sup¬plied by four 2 foot diameter exhaust fans located in the outside walls. Two smaller suction type fans were installed in the canopy over the cooking ranges in the kitchen. Two pedestal type floor fans were in service in the restaurant.

After the Explosion

“Stories of eye witnesses at the scene are somewhat conflicting. One stated that he was looking directly at the building about 500 feet away and it appeared that it was hit by a bolt of lightning and then flames immediately enveloped the building. Another witness observed the scene from the furniture store across the street. He stated the entire building seemed to rise from the ground, the first floor sides came out with a terrific rumble and the entire second floor dropped. The building was completely enveloped in flames. Other observers stated that fire was not present until a few moments after the blast and it seemed to build up rapidly following the appearance of dense black smoke from the rear of the restaurant (kitchen area).

“Nine hours after the first explosion, or about 4:00 A.M. the following morning, the fire flared up on the north side of the building near the shoe repair shop. Several firemen reported an odor of some kind of gas. Immediately rumors were started that caused newspaper reporters to assume that natural gas leakage was the cause of the disaster.

“On August 11 investigators from the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, assisted by employees of the East Ohio Gas Com¬pany, conducted a complete survey of sewers, manholes, and probed along all gas lines in the vicinity, as well as some basements of buildings in the area with a combustible gas indicator. At no time was any reading of natural gas indicated. In addition to these tests, the gas meter and the gas service line to the building were salvaged from the ruins and a pressure test was conducted. The pipe and meter were found in remarkably good condition.

“During the course of the fire, approxi¬mately one to one-and-a-half hours after the original explosion, the tank in the basement containing fuel oil for the fur¬nace blew out at one end and released the contents over the basement floor. This provided additional fuel to an already intense fire.
Vapors from Sewer

“Evidence of a ruptured soil pipe stack in the damaged building and samples of earth smelling strongly of petroleum products resulted in an investigation of possible contamination of the sewer sys¬tem by leaking underground gasoline tanks. All nearby tanks in the vicinity were checked but no evidence of leakage has been detected to date. As in any small town, it was indicated that there may be some connection between the storm and sanitary sewers in the area. Most of the sanitary sewer manholes were sealed with asphalt from road resurfacing.

“Evidence of an additional minor ex¬plosion and fire was found in the base¬ment and first floor wash room of the Ohio Edison Building. Charring and indication of a flash fire originating from wash bowl and toilet drain open¬ings strongly point to the fact that some flammable vapors must have been trapped in the sanitary sewer lines.

“Mr. Charles R. Scott, State Fire Marshal of Ohio, has advised the NFPA office that his office is continu¬ing the investigation of this explosion and fire….” (Jones, Clark F. “Restaurant Blast Kills Twenty-Two.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 49, No. 2, Oct 1955, pp. 87-91.)

Newspaper:

Aug 16, Reading Eagle, PA: “Ashtabula, Ohio, Aug. 16 (AP) – The blast which ripped the village square at Andover last Wednesday has claimed its 22nd life. Ruby Shellito, 17, died in General Hospital here. The girl, who would have been a senior at Andover High School, was working as a waitress in the Gateway Restaurant when it exploded and burned. Experts still probed for the cause of the tragedy which struck at the supper hour and during a severe rain storm.” (Reading Eagle, PA. “Andover, Ohio, Blast Claims 22nd Victim.” 8-16-1955, p. 14.)

Sources

Jones, Clark F. “Restaurant Blast Kills Twenty-Two.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 49, No. 2, Oct 1955, pp. 87-91.

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

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.)

National Fire Protection Association. The 1984 Fire Almanac. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1983.

Reading Eagle, PA. “Andover, Ohio, Blast Claims 22nd Victim.” 8-16-1955, p. 14. Accessed 4-9-2023 at: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19550816&id=RQ0rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v5oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3004,5818619