1968 — Aug 31, Fire, In-Crowd Lounge and Apartments (9 children), Gary, IN — 13
–13 Indianapolis Recorder, IN. “Continue search for arson suspect in Gary blaze.” 9-7-1968, 1.
–13 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
–13 NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1968.” Fire Journal, Vol. 63, No. 3, May 1969, p. 13.
–13 Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. “State Officials Investigate Fire.” 9-3-1968, p. 1.
–13 UPI. “Appears Fire Set Explosion at Gary.” Terre Haute Tribune, IN. 9-5-1968, p. 9.
–13 UPI. “Hatcher [Mayor] Says Arson Cause of Fatal Fire.” Anderson Herald, IN. 9-6-1968, p.25.
–13 UPI. “Probe Launched in Gary Blaze.” Anderson Herald Bulletin, IN, 9-4-1968, p. 30.
Narrative Information
NFPA: “In…[a] commercial-residential property, 13 people perished when an explosion and fire ripped through three buildings in Gary, Indiana, on August 31. The three-story brick, wood-frame buildings had commercial enterprises on the first story and apartments on the upper stories. The fire, reportedly started by an explosion of unknown cause in the basement of a tavern, quickly spread up through the building, killing occupants as they slept. Arson was suspected.” (NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1968.” Fire Journal, Vol. 63, No. 3, May 1969, p. 13.)
Sep 1: “Gary, Ind. (UPI) – The charred bodies of seven persons, three of them small children, were recovered Saturday after fire swept a tavern and the apartments above, trapping victims in their beds. Police said eight or more bodies could still be trapped in the ruins of the three-story building in downtown Gary.
“Authorities were investigating to see if arson was involved. The predawn fire was possibly triggered by an explosion in the In Crowd Lounge on the first floor of the building, near the downtown offices of Mayor Richard G. Hatcher. As police and fire officials searched the tons of blackened debris authorities released a list of persons missing. It contained 13 names, but officials said others could have been in the building.” (Pharos-Tribune & Press, Logansport, IN. “Seven Die in Gary Tavern Fire.” 9-1-1968, p. 18.)
Sep 3: “Gary, Ind. (UPI) – The state fire marshal’s office today joined local officials in an investigation of a fire here Saturday that killed 13 persons including nine children. Meanwhile, rescue, workers returned to the task of digging through the rubble, hopeful they would find no more bodies. Lake County Coroner Dr. Alexander Williams said Monday he believed the 13 bodies pulled from the debris of an apartment building Saturday night would be the extent of the
casualties. He said there were no more persons reported missing. Williams said the fire “claimed
more lives than any other Gary fire in history.”
“The blaze erupted during the pre-dawn hours Saturday in the midtown, three-story building in a predominantly Negro area. Fire officials had not determined the cause of an explosion in a tavern on the first floor of the building which triggered the holocaust. Investigators said there was a possibility of arson, but more likely something else caused the explosion, possibly a gas leak. There also were reports that dynamite had been stored in the In Crowd Lounge, which had
been closed a month ago by the Liquor Control Board. Officials Saturday ruled out a fire bomb as the cause.
“The fire spread quickly through the tavern and flames rapidly filled upstairs apartments, killing some of the victims in their beds and possibly others trying to escape.
“Rescue workers did not sift the debris Monday, taking Labor Day off. Cranes and other equipment donated by Gary’ s U.S. Steel Corp. were used to help workers move the rubble and search for bodies.
“Victims of the fire were identified as Willa Davis, 67, the landlady; her husband, Ernest, 56; Cheryl Samuels, 19; Rance Drayton, 43; Kenneth Johnson, 12; Deborah Johnson, 10; Carolyn Johnson, 16; Bruce Johnson, 11; Ernestine Wren, 8; Dorothea Wren, 10; John Nicholson, 5; James Bailey, 1, and Linda Douglas, 2.
“The flames also destroyed the Lovell Barber-College in an adjacent building.” (Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. “State Officials Investigate Fire.” 9-3-1968, p. 1.)
Sep 4: “Gary, Ind. (UPI) – The state fire marshal’s office today joined local officials in an investigation of a fire here Saturday that killed 13 persons including nine children. Meanwhile, rescue workers returned to the task of digging through the rubble, hopeful they would find no more bodies.
“Lake County Coroner Dr. Alexander Williams said Monday he believed the 13 bodies pulled from the debris of an apartment building Saturday night would be the extent of the casualties. He said there were no more persons reported missing. Williams said the fire ‘claimed more lives than any other Gary fire in history.’
“The blaze erupted during thee pre-dawn hours Saturday in the midtown, three-story building in a predominantly Negro area, Fire officials had not determined the cause of an explosion in a tavern on the first floor of the building which triggered the holocaust.
“Investigators said there was a possibility of arson, but more likely something else caused the explosion, possibly a gas leak. There also were reports that dynamite had been stored in the In Crowd Lounge, which had been closed a month ago by the Liquor Control Board. Officials Saturday ruled out a fire bomb as the cause.
“The fire spread quickly through the tavern and flames rapidly filled upstairs apartments, killing some of the victims in their beds and possibly others trying to escape….
“The flames also destroyed the Lovel Barber College in an adjacent building.” (UPI. “Probe Launched in Gary Blaze.” Anderson Herald Bulletin, IN, 9-4-1968, p. 30.)
Sep 5: “Gary, Ind. (UPI) – Authorities investigating last Saturday’s apartment house fire that killed 13 persons determined Wednesday that the fire apparently triggered an explosion rather than an explosion igniting the fire. Authorities said they ere still investigating the possibility of arson in the mid-town blaze that swept three adjacent buildings, trapping the victims in upstairs apartments.
“The state fire marshal’s office joined local officials in probing the cause of the blaze which struck in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. The blaze, authorities determined, started in a vacant storefront building and spread to a closed tavern and a barber college on either side. The fire then triggered an explosion in the ‘In Crowd Lounge,’ which had been closed a month earlier by the Liquor Control Board. Authorities still had not determined what exploded. There had been speculation that there was a gas leak or that explosives had been stored in the closed tavern.” (UPI. “Appears Fire Set Explosion at Gary.” Terre Haute Tribune, IN. 9-5-1968, p. 9.)
Sep 6: “Gary, Ind. (UPI) – Mayor Richard G. Hatcher said Thursday [5th] investigators have determined that last Saturday’s apartment house fire that killed 13 persons was a case of arson….Hatcher said investigators from the state fire marshal’s office and local officials definitely decided the blaze was not accidental. However, probers still have not determined how the blaze was started in a vacant store front building or what exploded in a tavern in an adjacent building….
“Police and investigators Thursday halted a group of neighborhood residents who had began sifting by hand through the charred debris in search of more bodies….Ed Robinson, a precinct committeeman, said residents of the neighborhood are determined there are still ‘five to 10 more bodies’ in the rubble and they had received ‘no satisfaction’ from requests to investigators to resume a search. Robinson said several p4rsons have relatives and friends missing and they fear they were trapped in the holocaust. He said he would lead a delegation to the mayor’s office Friday to ask him to order a renewal of the search for bodies.” (UPI. “Hatcher Says Arson Cause of Fatal Fire.” Anderson Herald, IN. 9-6-1968, p. 25.)
Sep 7: “Gary – Authorities continued their search this week for the woman in ‘green tight slacks and red sweater’ believed to have thrown an object into a tavern minutes before an apartment complex became engulfed in flames early Saturday morning, Killing 13 persons. Police and fire department officials admitted that they were at a ‘dead end’ in their search for the young woman reportedly seen by two men at the scene of the fire which destroyed the recently closed In Crowd Lounge and apartments at 17th and Broadway in this city’s Midtown section.
“The first alarm was turned in at 3:57 a.m., just minutes after an explosion in the bar which scattered debris as far away as 125 feet. A second alarm was sounded at 3:59 and a general alarm at 5:10
“The bodies of four persons were recovered from debris Saturday morning. Others were dug out during the day with the aid of heavy construction equipment from nearby United States Steel Corporation. The search for bodies were halted Tuesday after all the missing were accounted for.
“Alexander Shafner, a taxi-driver who turned in the alarm said he picked up a fare at 17th and Broadway, and said he was waiting for the light to change when he saw a woman walk across Broadway. Shafner said he drove north when the light changed and his passenger, looking out the window, claimed he saw the woman throw an object through the window of the bar, identified by authorities as ‘notorious’ before it was closed recently. He said he looked through his rear view mirror and saw the same woman running across the street. Reports are that he backed his cab up but lost sight of the woman in an alley west of the scene. Then came the blast, hurling broken glass, seats and a vending machine from the structure.
“At least two men were credited with saving several lives in the tragedy. Charles Reeves, 25, said he was leaving the home of a friend nearby when he heard the blast. He said he was watching the blaze when he heard a woman yell that there were children inside. With the help of spectators holding a ladder, Reeves climbed inside one of the smoke filled apartments, calmed a hysterical woman and led her and her two young children down a staircase. Witnesses said he went back into the burning structure and began pounding on doors awakening those sleeping. ‘I pounded on doors on both floors all the way to the back stairs, but the fire was beginning to spread around me and I got out,’ Reeves said.
“Gerald Evans, 1709 Broadway, said he had just gotten home from work and was looking out his apartment window, ‘when all of a sudden there was this big boom like a bomb.’ He said he yelled to one of his neighbors, ‘let’s get the kids out of there,’ grabbed his flashlight and went down into the street. After entering the smoke-filled building, Evans stated he kept yelling for the children to come to the light ‘but they were either too frightened or were blinded by the smoke. ‘I stumbled over something in the darkness. It was two children. I grabbed one under each arm and started back down the stairs. The smoke was so thick I had to feel with my foot. ‘We pitched forward down the first flight and then rolled the rest of the way.’ Evans collapsed once outside as did one of the children. The child was revived by a fireman who administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Evans came to later.
“Late this week Deputy Fire Marshall Willard Clark said nothing had been fund in the debris to confirm arson, but that the investigation in an attempt to find the alleged woman would continue…
“The three-story building was totally destroyed.” (Indianapolis Recorder, IN. “Continue search for arson suspect in Gary blaze.” 9-7-1968, p. 1.)
Sources:
Indianapolis Recorder, IN. “Continue search for arson suspect in Gary blaze.” 9-7-1968, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/indianapolis-recorder-sep-07-1968-p-1/
National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996, 2010. Accessed 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. “The Major Fires of 1968.” Fire Journal, Vol. 63, No. 3, May 1969, pp. 12-14.
Pharos-Tribune & Press, Logansport, IN. “Seven Die in Gary Tavern Fire.” 9-1-1968, p. 18. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=83899352&sterm=in+crowd
Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. “State Officials Investigate Fire.” 9-3-1968, p. 1. Accessed 3-5-2013 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=142577765&sterm=in+crowd
United Press International. “Appears Fire Set Explosion at Gary.” Terre Haute Tribune, IN. 9-5-1968, p. 9. Accessed 2-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/terre-haute-tribune-sep-05-1968-p-9/
United Press International. “Hatcher Says Arson Cause of Fatal Fire.” Anderson Herald, IN. 9-6-1968, p. 25. Accessed 2-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-sep-06-1968-p-25/
United Press International. “Probe Launched in Gary Blaze.” Anderson Herald Bulletin, IN, 9-4-1968, p. 30. Accessed 2-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-sep-04-1968-p-118/