The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-24
SEVEN HOUSES ARE DESTROYED BY FIRE Loss in Residence Section Amounts to $20,000 ON s. FIFTEENTH STREET On Account of the Stiff Wind and the Dry Spell the Houses Caught
 Rapidly and Burned
 Like Finder.
ON s. FIFTEENTH STREET

fifteenth street. The total loSS aulouHls o about $20OOO, with insurance to the mount of about s15.OO0.
 The fire originated from an unknown ause in the residence at Ss0 South Eff eenth street. occupied by F. L. Allen and ,wned by C. L. Ledbetter. From that 1t jpread quickly to the houses on either | 'ide and then to the Church residence on he corner of Avenue I. A brisk wind was blowing south. and | It carried sparks to the residence at 922 | South Fifteenth street. and this house | and the two adjoining 1t on either side | were practically destroyed. The sparks were carried by the wind to Twelfth ave- nue, where several houses caught, but | were quickly extlnguished by the occu- pants who were on top of the houses with lines of yard hose
 The rapid spread of the fro was due to the headway the flames gained before an alarm was turned In. the long run neces- sary for the fire department before reach Ing the fire, the brisk wind and the dry l ness of the houses owing to the long spell of weather without rain.
 List of Losses.
 The following is 0 complete list of the houses, owners occupants. values and in- surance:
 926--Lee Wheeler. owner and occupant Value building $500; insurance. $500. Value contents. 5000; no insurance.
 SOC. L. Ledbetter. owner r. I. Allen, occupant-value building. $500; insurance. sl5OO. Value contents. about $15oo; insur- ance unknown.
 SS4-B. H. McCrea and c. B. Ratcliff. owners and occupants-value building, $l5OO, insurance. 5000. Value contents, 5000; insurance. s4OO.
 S3S-Owner and occupant, Mrs. Anna J.. Church--Value building 5000; insurance. $500. Value contents. 5000; insurance, s12OO
 92O-Owner, W. N. Malonel occupant, D. Smpson--value building. $22o0; insurance, $150O Value contents, s1250; insurance, $75O.
 922-Owner, W. N. Malone: occupant, s. G. Munn-value building. s2200; insurance, $i5Oo Value contents, $10O0; no insurance.
 924-owner, T. B. Brabston; occupant G. B. Lonnegan-value building. 5000; in- surance, S1500. As occupant is out of the city, the value of contents and insurance could not be ascertained.
 Of the above houses those totally de- stroyed were at 8SO S32, 92O, and 922. and the other three are very badly damaged. The house at s26 and the house at 924 are almost destroyed, and the Church res idence Is very badly damaged
 Discovered by Mrs. Rensford.
 The fire was first discovered by Mrs. Thomas Rensford, anG at that time the house occupied by Mir Allen was in flames and the fire was spreading to the house occupied by MT. Wheeler on the north and Mir McRea and MT. Ratcliff on the south. By the time the alarm had been turned in all three houses were burning brislSly, and the wind was fan ming the flames.
 Chief Mullin saw he had hard Are to fight and soon sent for all the appar- atus in the city except that on North Highlands. Two engines were soon pumping water on the fire, and five hose wagons had laid about G000 feet of hose.
 A few minutes after tho department arrived at the fire the roof of the Church residence caught Sparks were flying high and the wind was carrying them three and four blocks south. The resi- dence of MT. Mum at 922 caught fire from sparks before the second alarm was sent in. and 1t burned rapidly On either side of it the houses caught and by the time the second section of the fire department had arrived the three buildings were all on fire. The firemen succeeded in stop ping the flames at the third house. but several times it looked as If all that sec tion of the Highlands just south of the fire was doomed to go. One residence caught fire five times, and a dozen others had sparks on the roof which did slight damage, but which were extinguished. Among the residences on Eleventh ave nue which caught were those of James Hawkins, John Mcqueen, w. F. McLain and Fred Sloss. The others were on Tenth avenue and Twelfth avenue, but the sparks were extingushed before the roof was ignited.
 Chief Mullln Talks. | Chief Mullin said after the fire: 'If one house had caught about Elev- | enth avenue we could not have controlled inc fire any longer, as we could not have
 moved our hose Everything fin town was at the fire except the hose wagon and engine on North highlands, and I had them come down to No. in the city hall so as to protect the remainder of the city. | If looked bad at one time, and thought | 1t was going to spread. Everything is so dry that these houses burnt like so much finder, and as soon as a burning shingle fell on a roof 1t caught the roof on fire at once.
 "rhe fire had gained great headway be- fore it was discovered, and when we ar- rived three houses were already on fire and the fourth was catching. The sparks were dropping on houses all around and soon caught two more houses. I sent for more apparatus, but if the fire had spread to a third place I don't know what ]