1949 — Mar 4, Woolworth Dept. Store fire, firefighters killed/floor collapse, Charleston, WV–7
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 13, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 7 Charleston Gazette, WV. “12 Children Lost Fathers in Blaze.” 3-5-1949, 14.
— 7 Charleston Gazette, WV. “Bodies of Seven Firemen…Ruins…Woolworth Blaze.” 3-5-49, 1
— 7 Charleston Gazette, WV. “Smoke Concealed Deadly Trap…Early…Stages.” 3-5-1949, 1.
Narrative Information
March 5, Charleston Gazette, WV: “…the most tragic fire in Charleston’s history…yesterday brought death to seven firemen and caused more than $1,000,000 in property damage…F. W. Woolworth Bldg. on Capitol St….7 firemen plunged to death when floor collapsed.” (Charleston Gazette, WV. “Bodies of Seven Firemen Taken From Ruins of Woolworth Blaze.” 3-5-1949, 1.)
March 5, Charleston Gazette, WV: “The fire which took the lives of seven Charleston firemen and caused more than a $1,000,000 property damage was regarded for more than an hour as only a minor blaze. An unusual fire, it smoldered in the basement of the F. W. Woolworth store for possibly as long as an hour and a half before it broke into flame. Firemen first on the scene thought they had nothing more to deal with than some smoldering rags that would do little more than emit a lot of smoke. This reporter was on the scene at 4 a.m., just a few minutes after the fire was discovered and it is easy to understand why the blaze was not considered a serious one.
“Walking slowly along his beat on Capitol St. shortly before 4 a.m. City Patrolman Wayne Casdorph sniffed the air questioningly when he smelled something burning. Looking through the window of the Woolworth building, Casdorph noticed a funny milky color and he realized the place was on fire. Casdorph said he then rushed to a box and turned in an alarm. Two trucks, including a ladder wagon, from the Elizabeth St. fire station answered the alarm and started to work on what they considered a routine fire call. Smoke seeping through the second story windows indicated a smoldering fire in the basement.
“Donning a gas mask, Capt. Claude Saunders went into the building for a preliminary investigation. Seconds later he staggered to the sidewalk and collapsed, overcome by smoke. A Cunningham ambulance standing nearby speeded him to the hospital.
“Working in from the front, firemen found a small stairway leading to the basement and went slowly down. Only seconds elapsed until the firemen retreated from overwhelming clouds of smoke. Several gas masks then were distributed, which proved to be faulty, and a police squad car was sent for more. The squad car returned with several more, but only one was workable.
“By 5 a. m., an hour after the start of the fire, firemen located the flames in a rear corner of the basement. Unable to descend to the basement, they advanced out onto the floor through a rear door and played a stream of water back in under the stairway. Suddenly, without warning, a whole section of the floor all the way across the building gave way plunging approximately seven firemen into roaring flames below. Spurred on by anguished pleas for help, firemen on the floor above frantically attempted a rescue. One fireman, George Coates, a Negro, won the undying admiration of all who knew what occurred. Jumping into the flaming hole, he grabbed one man and flung him bodily to the alley above. Just as he reached for another man, Coates as overcome by smoke and was never seen again until his body was recovered several hours later. Firemen were able to grasp the hand of one other man, but their hold slipped as the flames became too intense and the man disappeared screaming into the flames.
“Capt. E. F. Merrifield came staggering into the alley an instant later and mumbled, ‘I just had time to grab a section of the wall as the floor fell beneath me.’
“Standing by, helpless, while their buddies screamed in the inferno below, firemen were heard moaning over and over, ‘if only we had some asbestos suits, we could save them.’….
“The bodies of five of the victims were recovered from 12-feet of water in the basement of the building early in the afternoon. Pauley’s body was recovered at 5 p.m., about two hours after the bodies of his five comrades were brought out. The last body removed was that of Sharp, buried under a huge pile of debris far back in the basement. It was uncovered and removed from the water-filled basement at 8 p.m. …
“The fire completely burned out the Woolworth building and spread to the adjacent building housing the Kresge store. The roof of the later burned and partially collapsed, and tons of water poured into the store, ruining thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. The Fleetwood hotel building next door to Kresge’s also suffered considerable water damage….” (Charleston Gazette, WV. “Smoke Concealed Deadly Trap During Early Fire-Fight Stages.” 3-5-1949, 1.)
March 5, Charleston Gazette, WV: “The death of seven firemen in Charleston’s most tragic fire yesterday left as many widows and 12 small children fatherless. The dead…are:
Fred Clarence Summers, 28…Central Station crew…
Emory C. Pauley, 51…was with Central station for 24 years…
Frank Norton Miller, 31…Central station…six years…
George Alexander Coates, 26…began…at central fire station in October 1946…
James Paul Little, 26…at Central station for little more than a year…
Richard Ellsworth McCormick, 32…at the Central station a little over a year…
Thomas Franklin Sharp, 50…with 30 years service on the Charleston fire department.”
(Charleston Gazette, WV. “12 Children Lost Fathers in Blaze.” 3-5-1949, 14.)
Sources
Charleston Gazette, WV. “12 Children Lost Fathers in Blaze.” 3-5-1949, p. 14. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=40556724
Charleston Gazette, WV. “Bodies of Seven Firemen Taken From Ruins of Woolworth Blaze.” 3-5-1949, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=40556711
Charleston Gazette, WV. “Smoke Concealed Deadly Trap During Early Fire-Fight Stages.” 3-5-1949, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=40556711
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