Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-17
FLAMES FOUGHT
BYS APPARATUS
$50 Washington Firemen
Augmented by Hundreds
From Nearby Sections.

WaShingtonS entire Nre-flShtinS
equipment, consisting OF "a pieces OF
apparatus, augmented by 81 FIRE COM
panies from Maryland and Virginia,
was ynarShaled 10 combat the largest
and most disastrous series Of fires ever
recorded by the District Fire Depart
ment within period Of less than IL
hours.
Every available fireman On duty and
all those on relief who could os reach
ed were called back 70 work i0St as
soon as the seriousness Of the situation
became apparent TO Fire Department off,
cials. According TO estimates. $50 men
in the District Fire Department. III ad-
dition to several hundred from Mary
land and Virginia communities were
actively engaged in fighting the sporao-
ically occurring bla2eS.
Ten of the out-ot-town companies
came from Baltimore. making record
breaking run over the washington
Baltimore boulevard III response TO the
Districts appeal for aSSlStaace-the hTst
that has been made since fire destroyed
the old Patent Office Oh September "a,
1877. Baltimore sent four pieces OF APP
paratuS al that limc,
Two From Alexandria.
Two Of the out-of-town companies
came from Alexandria. Va. ana were
in command OF Fire CnieI Duncan. The
other Virginia companies were those OF
the jefferson District, Potomac, Ball
stou and Clarendon. The Maryland
companies came frcln Silver Spring.
Mount Rainier, Cottage City. hyattS-
vile and Rlverdale.
The volunteer companies worked Slce
BY side with the District apparatus
throughout the nignt, ard. accorolng
to fire department officials, they rem
de.ed yeonlan service in checking the
spread OF the various coniiagrat!ons II
was $50 o'clock this morning when
the last Of the Out-of-toTn companies
vas relieved. That was one OF the III
pieces Of apparatus which came from
Baltimore.
The Districts apparatus consisted OF
% engines, an equal number OF hose
wagons. IA trucks. the rescue squad and
the water tower. Fire Chief George 8
Watson took personal supervision OF ali
the blaZes. and was assisted by SIX bat
talon chiefs. two deputy chiefs, and
those in command OF the out-of-town
companies.
Only Minor Troubles.
Particular good fortune beset the
path OF all of the Districts apparatus.
as well as that which came from Mary
land and Virginia. Not one serious
accident occurred during the numerous
runs made by the apparatus from one
section 70 another, and the only trou-
bic that developed was Of minor ma
ture. which was remedied after the
apparatus reached the scene of blaze.
The most serious trouble. and thai
fortunately happened to be minor in
character, occurred when tire on one
OF the Baltimore engines speeding into
Washington blew out near Fifteenth
and II streets northeast. The engine
proceeded at slow speed TO No. 10 Fire
engine house, on Maryland avenue
northeast between Thirteenth and
Fourteenth streets. where the tire was
replaced.
Records at the fire department show
that % alarms were turned in from
the inception OF the first blaze at 10:4i
o'clock last night until il:l5 o'clock
this morning.
Four were turned in for one Of the
blazes and three for two others. A
fourth alarm calls out i6 engine COM
panies.
- Alexandria Lends Help.
Two companies of Alexandria fire.
men arrived early on the scene. One
vas G1dIpcfE0 al NO. 10 engine CO1l-
pany's house, Tenth and q streets
southwest, and the other at 10 engine
company's home. Maryland avenue be-
tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets. the Potomac, Va, company
sharing the home of 10 company with
the Alexandrians Other companies
from nearby Maryland and Virginia
were assigned 10 relief work al the
homes Of the several local companies
rs follows:
HyatisyiIle, Nd. TO No. 26 engine
company's quarters. Langdon; Silver
Spring Md, TO % engine company's
quarters Brightwood; Clarendon. Va.
70 No. engine conpany's quarters.
Georgetown: Mount Rainier. Nd. TO II
engine company's quarters. Brookland:
Cherrydale. Va. TO No. 8 engine COM
pany's quarters. u. street between Six
tenth and and Seventeenth streets.
jefferson District, Va, TO No. en-
CINE cosnp&ny's quarters. Massachusetts
avenue between Fourth and Fifth
streets: Ballston, Va. TO No. engine
compauy's quarters, Dent place. be-
tween Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth
streets: Riverdale, Md, TO IL engine
company's quarters. North Capitol
street, north OF Florida avenue; Cot
tage City. Md, 10 No. engine COM
pany's quarters. New Jersey avenue be-
go