Tag Archives: Fires

152 DIE IN CIRCUS TENT DISASTER! July 6, 1944

Posted on July 6, 2014 by lmharnisch

July 6, 1944 Hartford, Conn. – The Ringling Bros. circus tent catches fire during a performance, sending an audience estimated at 6,000 scrambling to escape. It was the worst circus fire in U.S. history, with a final death toll of … Continue reading →

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The Deadly Inferno

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Note: I’m reposting an item for newer readers that I originally wrote in 2006 for the 1947project. Oct. 26, 1907: Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they … Continue reading →

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Buck Jones Among Hundreds Killed in Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire

Posted on November 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

Nov. 30, 1942: Saying “My hands are trembling all over this typewriter keyboard,” Associated Press writer Harry C. Glasheen writes of his experiences covering Boston’s Cocoanut Grove fire, which had a final death toll of 492 people, including Western movie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Comics, Film, Fires, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Fire Chief Injured in Blaze

Posted on November 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

A lot of five photos showing the Jan. 23, 1913, fire at the Los Angeles Wallpaper and Paint Co., 529 S. Main St., has been listed on EBay. The blaze injured Fire Chief Archibald “Archie” J. Eley and 18 men, … Continue reading →

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30 Firefighters Escape Blaze in Box Canyon

Posted on August 24, 2012 by lmharnisch

Aug. 24, 1942: Sheriff’s deputies break up a planned fight between the Lincoln Heights Square John gang and the Huntington Park Levis gang at Central and Florence avenues, arresting 17 members of the Square John gang (no members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 30, 2008 by lmharnisch

  C.C. Pierce & Co. Photographers, Los Angeles, Cal., U.S.A. An undated photograph of the Phillips Block, 1887-1912.   After looking at the old photos of Spring Street over the last few days, I wanted to learn more about the … Continue reading →

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Topanga Canyon blaze

Posted on July 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

spark from an electrical short in the pump house at Hertz Ranch was blamed for a fire that burned 125 acres before it was contained, The Times says. Six other fires were also burning in Southern California, The Times says. … Continue reading →

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Circus fire kills 168

Posted on July 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

Five Ringing Bros. officials and an employee were sentenced to prison in the Hartford, Conn., fire. Circus Vice President James A. Haley, who served eight months in prison, was eventually elected as a Democratic congressman from Florida. The James A. … Continue reading →

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Feb. 25, 1908

Posted on February 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

An "instantaneous heater" explodes while a man is taking a bath and the fire destroys much of the home at 1201 W. 7th. … A fire caused by crossed wires in the attic destroys a home at 2659 Ellendale Place … Continue reading →

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Jan. 24, 1908

Posted on January 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

Here’s what happens when a streetcar jumps the tracks on Los Angeles’ sainted transportation system: There’s a huge traffic jam on the Eastside because no other cars can pass. Throw in human error and the congestion only gets worse … … Continue reading →

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Jan. 8, 1958

Posted on January 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

Here’s a relic of headline writing: "H’wood."

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Dec. 26, 1957

Posted on December 26, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Note the item on the BOAC Stratocruiser, which suffered a loss somewhat similar to what was theorized for Pan Am’s "Romance of the Skies."

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Nov. 22, 1957

Posted on November 21, 2007 by lmharnisch

 

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Valley blaze

Posted on June 25, 2007 by lmharnisch

    June 25, 1957 Los Angeles A 50-foot tower of flames fed by 7,000 gallons of pressurized liquid propane being transferred from a truck to a storage tank was snuffed by a 28-year-old man who said it was no … Continue reading →

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Forgotten actress burns to death

Posted on May 14, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 14, 1957 Los Angeles Forlorn and alone, cast off by the industry that gave her fame, 74-year-old Dorothy Dale, forgotten star of the silent era, died when a gas heater set an old sofa on fire in her … Continue reading →

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