Evening star., 1939-05-02
Six Are Injured
|n'Apartment
House Blaze
EorIy-Morning Fire
On 18th Street Is
Viewed by Hundreds

VISWSO Oy ylioslOiSOS
Caught in a treacherous, explosive
back draft, six persons, five Of them
flremen, were injured early today
/ In fighting a three alarm fire In
the 16-family Oregonian Apart
ments, 1915 Eighteenth street NV
Occupants of the apartments, q
four-story building, escaped un-
. injured. Many of them were Sleep
ing at the time of the alarm and
were forced to flee to the streets
. clad in their nightclothes.
The injured are: Capt. Charles
Satterfield, 81, of 618 North Caro-
lima avenue, Sc, No. 8 Tyuck
Company, possible fractured verte-
bra received in falling after being
overcome by smoke.
1t. Murchell Lamp, 81, of 9l5
Tenth street Sc, No. 2 Truck Co.,
burns on face and hands.
Pvt. Andrew Bigos, 36, of 4939
Forty-seventh street NV, No.
Truck Co., burns about the head and
hands.
Pvt. Clyde Smith, "a, of 627 Penn
sylvania avenue Sc, No. Truck
Co., burns.
Pvt. Elvin Winkler, 33, of 155 E
street Sc, No. 9 Truck Co., burns.
Fred Randall, 80, of TIT Capitol
avenue NE, emergency man for
Washington Gas Light Co., burns,
All were reported improving to-
day at Emergency Hospital and they
are not believed in serious condition.
Hundreds of persons were at
tracted to the fire as 80 pieces of
fire apparatus, ambulances and po-
lice cars rushed to the scene.
Fire Marshal Calvin G. LAUDER
said the fire might have been con-
fined to the basement and the ex-
plosions averted If the alarm had
been turned in promptly when the
blaze was discovered. He said some
occupants, aroused by smoke, discov-
cred the fire and notified the janitor,
who was some distance away at the
time.
The marshal said efforts were
made first to put out the fire with
extinguishers in the building and
q garden hose before the alarm was
turned in. Before the firemen
reached the scene the flames had
spread up the elevator shaft to the
loft and roof.
James E. Scott, rental agent, said
the janitor turned in the alarm be-
fore trying to extinguish the fire.
He said the janitor turned in the
first alarm at the frebox at Eight
eenth and T streets NV, one block
from the apartment building, after
being summoned by occupants of the
apartment.
Lives in Apartment.
The janitor, the agent said, lives
IN the apartment, but at the time
the fire broke out was not at home.
He was summoned from Eighteenth
and S streets NV, one block from
the apartment and two from the
fire box where the alarm was
turned in.
Meanwhile, the agent said, an
apartment alarm had been turned
on and was ringing. The agent said
he did not know the exact time
the fire was discovered or who
turned on the building alarm. He
said he did not believe whoever
turned 1t on was thinking that this
was an alarm to summon the fire
department.
The agent was of the impression
the first alarm was turned in about
1905. Living near the scene, he
said he reached the place by the
time the fire equipment was ar
irving.
The first alarm was turned in at
11:53 pm. and f1remen were at work
extinguishing the fire until $40 am.
The fire originated in a basement
and spread rapidly through a dumb
waiter to the loft and roof.
1t was in fighting the fire in the
loft that the firemen and gas light
employe were injured When fire
men smashed windows to reach the
fire, an onrush of oxygen caused the
explosion.
The firemen were burned by the
rapidly-spreading flames and carried
from the building by other firemen.
The first explosion was followed by
a series of smaller ones, making the
work Of the flremen more hazardous
as they fought the stubborn blaze.
Hole Torn in Roof.
The explosions, tearing a large
hole in the roof of the building,
sprayed debris on the streets below.
Policeman M. w. King. crossing
the street at the time, said he was
suddenly showered by falling glass
and pieces of brick. He returned to
the building and helped remove the
injured firemen to the hospital.
One of the occupants, Willie Mae
Davis, "a, colored, describing the
explosion, said it seemed like "a lot
of smoke rushing up" She had left
the building before it occurred.
The roof was badly damaged, as
was the attic or loft, where the
fiercest part of the fire ragged. The
apartments through which the
dumb elevator passed also were
damaged.
The rental agent estimated the
damage at $4,000. The loss, he
said, is covered by insurance.
The building is owned by the Mu-
tual Housing Corp, of which Rep
resentative Arthur w. Mitchell of
Illinois is president and principal