The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-12-17
Many Had to Flee in Night
Clothes and Bare
Footed
WEBSTERVILLE FIRE
LOSS Is $15,0 900
La Lasso's Store and Two
Dwelling H s ,es
Wiped { :

"A store building wo houses ~
upper Websterville = burned to the
ground this morni = che mercantiie
establishment of a. la LaSasso be-
ing wiped out for second time N
three years and ~ r families being
rendered homeless Z, the sudden rush
Of flames The ! A d estimated to be
$4,000. The fam of Albert Blancli-
I ett and John Fugere in the upper part
Of the IaSasso store building had mar
row escapes, being able to get out by
rushing down an outside stairway, clad
only in their night clothing and in
their bare feet.
The fire broke out in the front part
Of the LaSasso store at about o'clock
and it probably started from an over
heated stove in that part of the build.
ing. Mr. LaSasso occupied quarters ia
the Fugere tenement and was forced
TO lose his belongings along with mis-
tenants. The people upstairs wers
awakened by the smell of smoke, and
by that time the fire had become we'll
started. 20 that the only thought rf
the occupants was for their own safe
ty, which seemed jeopardized. There
are eleven people in the two families,
and the elders saw to it that the chill
dren got out safely in the rush for tic
outside stairway The practically nn
clothed people suffered somewhat from
the cold but were soon taken in bv
neighbors and made comfortable.
Meanwhile the alarm was given ulIt
and volunteers came to do what they
could, which was slight as far as fight
ing the fire WAS concerned because
there is no fire fighting apparatus in
Webstervillc. A telephone message WAS
sent to the Barre fire station and the
light chemical auto truck was sent TO
the scene, but the two men accompany
ing it could do little because of tho
lack of facilities for fire lighting. 1t
was useless to use chemicals az the fire
had progressed too far.
1t was evident early that the La
Sasso store building could not be
saved, and before long the northwest
wind drove the flames toward dwell
inghouse in the rear, owned by Mr. I,a-
Sasso. and occupied by Albert Villas
family, and also toward a dwelling
house owned by Carl Hinkel and occu-
pied by the family of Richard Rudda
The spread of the flames was so fast
that the contents of the Villa residence
could not be saved but volunteers saved
some Of the furniture in the Rudda res
idence, which was located at one sidc
of the LaSasso store. The store OF r.
H. Nerney was located on the oppo
site side Of the railroad track and the
wind was blowing away from that di
rection so that the Ncrney store was
not threatened.
The other three buildings attacked
BY the flames, however, were soon a
heap of ruins, the work OF the FIRE hav-
ing been complete. The LaSasso store
building was erected by Mr.. LaSasso
after the destruction by fire of his 9TH
err store building. IL was two and
one half story building, well construct
ed. and il contained general stock o.
goods The two dwellinghouses were
Of good construction. Mr.. LaSasso car
ried insurance in the g. III. Pape agency
Of Barre. and Mr.. Henkel also had some
insurance on his building. The tenants
ii the buildings either carried no in
surance at all or very small amounts.
% that their losses viii be practically
.otal except in the case of tho Rudda
family, some of whose furniture was
.arried out.