Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-05
FIRE IMPERILS
LIVES OF FIVE
WOMAN AND BABY NARROWLY
ESCAPE FLAMES
THREE YOUNG MEN ENTRAPPED
IN BLAZING HOUSE,
Explosion of Gasoline Causes Destruc-
ton of One Home and Heavy
Loss on Adjoining
Structure


By the explosion of a gasoline stove
a fire was started late yesterday after
noon which destroyed the house of Ed
ward M. Kean, $40 North Occidental
boulevard, with it's contents, damaged
the residence of James A. Corrie, adj
Joining, and imperiled the lives of
Mrs. Kean and her 10-days-old baby
and those of three young men who en-
deavored to save a portion of the con-
tents of the Corrie home. The loss on
the two buildings and contents is es-
timated at $4,000. with only partial
insurance.
The fire started in the house of Mr..
Kean, the wife of whom was confined
to her bed and being attended by Mrs.
Elsie Regor trained nurse Mrs.
Regor was in the kitchen ironing some
clothing and was using a gasoline
stove to heat the irons. She had left
the kitchen for few minutes and was
returning when she saw puff of
flame and smoke from the kitchen, fol-
lowed by dull report, and a moment
later the entire room burst into flames.
Mrs. Regor turned and ran to the
front of the house crying fire." and
then started back to the house to take
care of her patient and the little baby.
Arises from siekbed
In the meantime, however, Mrs.
Kean had heard the report and, smell
ing the smoke from the fire, got up
from the bed and, wrapping the baby
in a quilt, ran into the hallway to
leave the house. She had not taken
dozen steps when in her weakened
condition she fell and was partly over
come by the smoke which by now was
pouring in a dense cloud through the
hallway. Cropping through the smoke
Mrs. Regor and Mrs. M. Kucuski,
neighbor, found Mrs. Kean lying on
the floor and carried her and the baby
from the house to the residence Of Mrs
Mary Clark. a half block away.
The two women remained with Mrs
Kean to minister to her wants, as bE
this time q crowd of more than hun
dred people had gathered and were
trying to save the contents of the
house But few things were taken
from the building, however, as within
ten minutes the entire structure was
aflre and there was no chance of saw
ing but little of the stuff.
In less than five minutes after the
fire had broken through the roof OF
the Kean residence the. house of James
A. Corrie, No. 344, and located within
few feet of the Kean house, had
caught fire and the flames climbed
with startling rapidity from the first
to the second floor and ate through
the wall into the roof and attic.
Leap from Window
Three young men, Roy Langley,
Fred Miller and Bert Cooper, who i've
in the neighborhood, ran into the Cor
RE home as soon as it was threatened
and began carrying out some of the
more valuable articles of furniture.
They had made two trips into the
house and then went to the second
floor to endeavor to save the furnish
ings in front bedroom. When they
came from the room few moments
later they were driven back by the
flames and smoke in the hallway, and
in endeavoring to make an entrance
into an adjoining room, the doorway
of which was hidden by wardrobe,
the heavy piece of furniture was top
pied over, barring the door to the hall
way. Their only means Of exit. now
was by window opening on the side
of the house which was afire, but they
pluckily took the chance and one after
the other jumped from the window
through the cloud of flame and smoke,
sixteen feet to the ground below.
Langley and Miller were both burned
about the head arms and hands, but
Cooper escaped without injury, ex-
cepting a slight sprain of the right
ankle.
Firemen Handicapped
The fire department, which arrived
within a few minutes after the alarm
was first given, had hard work getting
sufficient streams on the fire because
of the distance from hydrants, but de-
spite this handicap did remarkably
good work in getting it under control
within a half hour The infiammable
nature of the building in which the
fire started made it impossible to save
II and it was completely destroyed.
The Corrie home was damaged with
its contents to the amount Of $1,000 and
the loss on the Kean home and con-
tents is estimated at $4,000.
The residence occupied by Mr.. Cor
RE and his family is owned by Mrs.
M. 7. Parks and was but recently COM
pleted at a cost of $4,000. Both build
ings and contents were partially in
sured.