Category Archives: Fires

December 9, 1907: Black LAPD Officer Blames Firing on Racism, Rejoins Fire Department

Posted on December 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 9, 1907: Mayor Harper has restored E.J. Bowen to his old job in the Fire Department after the rookie police officer was fired for allegedly being a coward—a charge that Bowen, who is Black, blames on racism. Continue reading →

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October 26, 1907: Women Clean Clothes With Gasoline, Die After Explosion and Fire

Posted on October 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 26, 1907: Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they were using to clean a soiled dress exploded, engulfing their apartment at 42 St. James Park in flames. Continue reading →

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October 15, 1907: Fire Threatens Orpheum

Posted on October 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 15, 1907: Fire breaks out in the four-story building housing the Orpheum Theater and the Elks Hall. Entertainer Minnie Seligman made the smoke and sound of fire engines part of her act. Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Sentinel Reports on City’s Segregated Fire Department

Posted on October 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 9, 1947: The Sentinel reports on segregation in the Fire Department. Publisher Leon H. Washington Jr. said “There are a number of qualified Negro firemen on the list who must wait until one of the present firemen dies or retires before they will be appointed to jobs.” Continue reading →

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October 1, 1910: ‘A Terrible Roar’

Posted on October 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 1, 1910: The Los Angeles Times Building is bombed, killing 20 employees. Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Labor, LAPD | Tagged , | 1 Comment

August 29, 1907: Engine Co. 20 Pranks Newlywed Firefighter

Posted on August 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 29, 1907: Lt. Samuel Dodd is something of a practical joker around the firehouse, so when he left on his honeymoon with his bride, Juanita, his fellow firefighters decided to get even. Continue reading →

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August 24, 1947: Golfers Play Through as Fire Destroys Clubhouse at Inglewood

Posted on August 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1947: Golfers play through as fire destroys the clubhouse at Inglewood Country Club. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fires, Sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 9, 1947: 2 Firefighters Die Fighting Big Tujunga Canyon Blaze

Posted on August 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 9, 1947: Firefighters Carl Masterson and Edward “Harry” Duffy are killed fighting a wildfire in Big Tujunga Canyon, which burned 3,600 acres. Continue reading →

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Aug. 3, 1907: Gasoline Stove Explodes, Destroys House

Posted on August 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 3, 1907: Gasoline from a stove explodes, destroying a house. Mrs. William Morley was found dazed and stumbling around the smoking ruin of what had been her home. Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 1961 Bel-Air Fire Burns 450 Homes

Posted on January 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory revisits the 1961 Bel-Air fire Continue reading →

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Dec. 9, 1907: Black LAPD Officer Blames Firing on Racism, Rejoins Fire Department

Posted on December 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 9, 1907 Los Angeles Mayor Harper has restored E.J. Bowen to his old job in the Fire Department after the rookie police officer was fired for allegedly being a coward—a charge … Continue reading →

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December 1947: Powerful Blast Destroys House, Injures Fumigation Crew, Kills Neighbor

Posted on December 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Before the introduction of Vikane, also known as Sulfuryl Fluoride, pesticide companies relied on hydrocyanic gas, a compound used to exterminate termites—and in California’s lethal gas chamber. That’s what a crew from Guarantee Fumigating Co. was pumping into the home … Continue reading →

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Oct. 26, 1907: Women Clean Clothes With Gasoline, Die After Explosion and Fire

Posted on October 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 26, 1907 Los Angeles Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they were using to clean a soiled dress … Continue reading →

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October 15, 1907: Fire Threatens Orpheum

Posted on October 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. October 15, 1907 Los Angeles On a rainy night in Los Angeles, a fire broke out in the four-story brick office building at 235 S. Spring St. housing the Orpheum Theater and … Continue reading →

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Coming Attractions: Celebrating the Reopening of the Central Library

Posted on October 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles Central Library, courtesy of the library. Los Angeles is celebrating one of its great treasures – the Central Library – this weekend on the 25th anniversary of its reopening in October 1993, seven years after a devastating … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Sentinel Reports on City’s Segregated Fire Department

Posted on October 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Engine Co. 30 in 1947, top, and via Google Street View. Oct. 9, 1947: The Sentinel reports on segregation in the Los Angeles Fire Department. Sentinel Publisher Leon H. Washington Jr. said that because of segregation, “there are a number … Continue reading →

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Aug. 29, 1907: Engine Co. 20 Pranks Newlywed Firefighter

Posted on August 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 29, 1907 Los Angeles Around Engine Co. 20 at Sunset Boulevard and Mohawk Street, Lt. Samuel Dodd is something of a practical joker, so when he left on his honeymoon with … Continue reading →

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Aug. 24, 1947: Golfers Play Through as Fire Destroys Clubhouse at Inglewood

Posted on August 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Fire which mushroomed early yesterday from the basement of the clubhouse at the Inglewood Country Club, 3424 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, left the building and … Continue reading →

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Aug. 9, 1947: 2 Firefighters Die Fighting Big Tujunga Canyon Blaze

Posted on August 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Their names were Carl Joseph Masterson and Edward Jerome Duffy, who went by the nickname Harry. Carl was 40, born in Kansas and lived at 1032 … Continue reading →

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Aug. 3, 1907: Gasoline Stove Explodes, Destroys House

Posted on August 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 3, 1907 Los Angeles An enormous explosion shattered the night in the Dayton Heights neighborhood near what is now Virgil Avenue and Middlebury Street. “The shock of the explosion awakened people … Continue reading →

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