Evening star., 1937-03-22
THREE-ALARM FIRE
DAMAGE IS $4,000
AT BEAUTY SALON
Several Thousands in Pre-
Theater Crowd Drawn
by Flames.
ANTIQUES ARE RUINED
IN RESIDENTIAL BLAZE
Canary and Rabbit Found Safe
After Flood Home Is Par
TALLY Burned.

Fire swept through the upper floors
Of Emile's beauty salon at 1921 Con-
necticut avenue last night, attract
ing pre-theater crowd of several
thousand and jamming traffic in the
neighborhood for more than an hour.
1t was the second three alarm fire
within few hours, the other oc-
curing at the RoSSlyn Steel & Ce-
ment Co. plant, Thirty-firs and K
streets.
Earlier in the day, Dickie, canary
bird, and Easter Bunny, a white rab-
bit, emerged bedraggled, but still play
ful from blaze that burned through
the dining room and kitchen of the
home of William j. Flood, 1922 Massa-
chusetts avenue, destroying valuable
European tapestries and century-old
cut glass.
The first fire companies arriving at
the blaze at Emile's Immediately
turned in a third alarm, calling ap-
proximately 80 pieces of apparatus to
the scene. Police ordered all avail
| able motor cycle men to the blaze to
handle the crowds.
Damage May Be $4,000.
The fire, according to Emile
beauVals, operator of the salon, caused
between $4,000 and $4,000 damage
He was not sure how completely the
loss was covered by insurance.
A steel fire door, sliding shut auto
matically when the flames spurted
from an elevator shaft, confined most
OF the blaze to gymnasium on the
fourth floor. Much of the equipment
there was destroyed or seriously
damaged.
The proprietor was in his fourth
| floor apartment when firemen ar
rived. When he opened the fire door
Tor them he was drenched by water
from fire hose.
Cause of the blaze was not definitely
determined, but firemen believed a
short circuit in the elevator shaft was
responsible
the blaze in the gymnasium created
heat so intense that ventilators on the
roof still were drawing hot air from
the building an hour afterward.
Spectators thronged the street and
sidewalks in the fire area. causing
street cars to be halted and automo-
bile traffic to be rerouted
One of the apartments in the build
ing was the scene of a raid on an al
legged gambling establishment several
weeks ago. Occupants of the suite es-
capped by running into a women's
turkish bath in an adjoining building
The Flood family was in church
when fire broke out in the newly
equipped kitchen of their MaSsachu-
setts avenue home.
| Firemen Don Masks.
Flremen donned their masks to bat
| tie the blaze. In the dining room they
found the canary singing and the rab
bit frolicking on the floor The pets
belonging to Dolores Flood, 8, and
members of her private kindergarten
class, were none the worse for their
experience, except in appearance. The
bird was given bath late yesterday
and the rabbit was to be cleaned with
a cornmeal rundown today.
Mrs Flood estimated damage al
| $4,000 and said the cause of the fire
was still undetermined Much of the
loss cannot be replaced, as it included
valuable sterling silver, two European
tapestries and a set of English rose
cut glass more than 100 years old.
Traffic was paralyzed yesterday aft
ernoon by the blaze at the Rosslyr
Steel & Cement Co. plant. A wooden
file room was swept by flames, but
firemen extinguished them quickly
The second and third alarms were
turned in as precautionary measure
firemen fearing the blaze might spreac
to an adjoining lumber yard. Tht
cause was not determined.
George A. Ford, At, of 478 F stree
southwest, was burned about the righ'
hand when he tried to put out firt
that started in mattress at his home
yesterday. Only slight damage wa.
caused by the flames. He was treated
at Providence Hospital and later dis.
charged.