The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-21

SPECTACULAR FIRE
 IN LODGING HOUSE Sunday Afternoon Blaze
 Sweeps Through Building Once Bridgeport's First
 High School.
 Flames which drove nearly 60 per sons from their lodgings, caused po- lice and firemen to act the part of heroes in carrying from the smoke hlled building women who had faint ed from fright, threatened destruc- t1on to the business section of State street between Broad and Lafayette yesterday, gutted Bridgeport's first high school building and ruined the stocks of storekeepers in the vicinity.
 Investigation is. centering upon the cause of the fire which is estimated to have done damage exceeding $10,- 900, while it is likely that as a re- suit of the fire the Bridgeport Board Of Fire Underwriters will take steps to abolish common rear porches and stairways of wooden construction.
 Seemingly without apparent cause the entire five story brick building at 280 State street, now known as the Dwelling Apartments" but once Bridgeport's first highs school, later Strong's Military Academy, and still later a big saddle mandatory, burs into flames at about o'clock yester- day afternoon.
 Two firemen, off duty and leaving the Elks' club for the ball game saw a sheet of flame come from the Peter Avill fruit store, one of three business places occupying the stree front. The entire basement = an( back of the building were ablaze With alarming rapidity the north east wind drove the flames directl! into the many apartments.
 The two firemen, John J. McCar thy,> 66 Norman street, and Thomas Flynn, 9S6 Norman street, ordering a bystander to turn in an alarm, en tered the building followed by Pa trolman James Foley and Georg Sevanberg of 3S1 Fairfield avenu, and two others who gave the name of Bert Robinson and Jack Brennan rushed into the burning building.
 In the first hallway they found { crowd of men and women in an in describable panic. Women were in sistent upon running back to the up per story apartments, already il flames, to rescue clothing and insur ance papers they claimed to have lief behind. In their frenzy they evel fought with the rescuers who forced them down the narrow staircase t, safety.
 Bremen Flynn and Mccarthy fore ed their way to the upper story. On' door was found locked. Flynn il placing his shoulder against wrenched some of the fragments o his arm.
 Inside two women were found un conscious. These were taken to tn, cigar store of Sarah Hopwood, ~27' State street, where they revived.
 With the arrival of the apparatu the entire rear stairways wer' ablaze. Po1icem~n Foley carrying woman down the outside staircas was compelled to get a blanket ant wrap himself and the woman in 1t t. prevent inhaling the flames.
 Mrs. Peter Avillo was found un conscious in the rear of the fruit stor' by Sevenberg who dragged her t, safety in an apartment across tn street.
 sThe smoke and flames immediatel, attracted several thousand peop1 who were kept in check by the DO lice that were immediately detaile to the scene Chemicals were futil in the stubborn blaze which had un dermined the old roof, and whicl burned fiercely against half a dozel streams of water directed from al angles.
 Electrical power in the way. of tn big aerial ladder, which was used fo the first time in nearly a year, caus ed call to be sent to the Connect cut & Lighting Co.'s plant and. tn current was turned off. Flames threatened the old build | ing of the Ryan & Lutz Carriage fac tory. Sparks flying as far as tn | Village Store caught awnings an roofs far down State street, whic were quenched by chemicals. Even after apparently under con | tral, flames broke out again and aga1 | with insistent fierceness, threaten1n | to finish the partial destruction. i The building owned by the Mas estate has 31 rooms above the stree which are rented for light house | keeping apartments by Daniel Nc Douga1.
 1 Fire damaged all the rooms abov l the ground floor. The Bottling de
 partment of Lee Bros. was wrecke
 by flames and the saloon somewhs damaged by water. The Avillo fru | store was damaged by water. Tn Liberty Lunch, though somewhs | damaged by water, is in a separat
 extension building and resumed bus
 mess last night. Repairs estimate
 in the neighborhood. of $10,000 wi
 require more than a month durin
 which about 120 lodgers will have | find new quarters.
 The, police and firemen are 1nves
 tigating reports that a small gasolin
 explosion started the blaze, also ths
 number of men engaged in playin 1 cards in the rear of the buildin
 carelessly threw matches into a pil l of highly inf1ammable rubbish. | Insurance fire underwriters preser during the progress of the fire UT Il hesitatingly condemned the ol :, wooden staircases in the rear of th
 buildings which they believe a me1
 ace equal to wooden ceiled hal
 ways.
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