New Britain herald., 1924-12-16
SIX PERSONS DIE IN NEW YORK FIRE
Three Others Badly Hurt in
 Tenement Blaze
19 YEAR OLD YOUTH A HERO
Saves Entire Family--Aged Man, Dangling From Rope, Weakens and Plunges Five Stories to Ills Death.

Death.
 New York, Dec. fs.-six persons are known to have perished in fire which swept through a brick tene- ment house off upper Fifth avenue early today. Their bodies were re- covered. At least three other per sons were seriously burned by the flames which drove scores of families into the street.
 Near Mt. Sinai Hospital
 The fire occurred but two blocks from Mount Sinai hospital and the attendant noise and confusion awak- ened patients who found the sky about the institution a quivering red. Doctors and nurses patrolled the wards. pulling down blinds and as- suring their patients that there was no danger.
 Five of the dead were women who had been trapped on the upper floors of the house and overcome before help could reach them. AL though firemen made heroic efforts to rescue them the flames swept through the building with such speed that the victims were scarcely able to leap from their beds.
 Saves Entire Family
 The bravery of nineteen-year- old youth. Fred Nugent, saved an entire family, awakened by smoke he went into the room of his mother, Mrs. Anna Nugent, and carried her to the street. Again entering the building he dragged his sisters, Bar bara and Antoinette to safety and then for the second time plunged into the flaming house. This time he was driven back by the flames as he attempted to enter the room of his uncle Edward Russell, who had been weakened by long illness. Nugent was taken to Mount Sinai hospital with his mother and sisters, all suffering from burns.
 Falls Five Stories Meanwhile flremen, who also sought to rescue Russell. had drop. pe& & rope to him at the window ] pF his room from higher floor 1T i an, adjoining building. The aged naE clitched the rope, but his grip gave way and he fell five stories 10 his death.
 The fire was discovered by pa. trolman shortly after o'clock and the tenants were awakened by the beating of police club against their doors. Swarming from their apart. ments in night clothes, with theil feet bare, and carrying blankets tc shelter them, the tenants fled to the street. Those on the upper floors oi the five story structure were trapped and were forced to flee by fire es, capes and by fire ladders.
 Suffering from cold and exposure men. women and children were taker In by neighbors, while those who had relatives missing ran from house tc house In frantic effort 10 find them. Police were forced to make q house. toulouse canvass of the dis trlct to check up on the missing.
 Early today six bodies had been recovered and it was believed that no more were missing.
 Losses Total Million
 Today's fires brought the number during the cold spell since Sunday to more than 100, making hundreds homeless and causing property losses estimated in excess of S1,000,o0o.
 Four persons, including two chil- dren, were severely burned in Q fire which broke out about the same time in a four-story dwelling in Sixty sixth street, Brooklyn. The blaze spread to an adjoining dwelling house driving twelve families from their homes,
 Guests in an Eighth avenue hotel patronized largely by members ot the theatrical profession were rout- i ed from their beds by fire which started a few hours after the East Ninety y-eighth street blaze, Many oi the guests were forced to make thcir escape by way Of the hotel roof after the flames had spread from ] the lower floors.