Evening star., 1939-05-24
Seven Firenen
Hurt in Union
Trust Blaze
Sidewalk Hacked
In Fighting Flames
In Basement
picture on Page BIZ

A solid sheet of flame that roared
suddenly out of raging inferno in
the basement of the Union Trust
Building, Fifteenth and H streets
NV, enveloped firemen battling a
two-alarm blaze there early today,
sending seven men to Emergency
Hospital.
The injured men were treated for
burns on the face, hands and body
and three were put to bed at the
hospital with serious hurts.
The underground blaze was dis
covered shortly after am. by
Newell Davis of Kensington. Md. a
watchman in the bank building.
Firemen worked for two hours.
hacking holes through solid cement
and bricks, to put out the flames.
Smoke had half filled the bank
building when firemen arrived at the
scene. They found that a paint
storage room, filled with turpentine
and other inflammables, was ablaze
The storage room is in the buildings
cellar, under the sidewalk on the
Fifteenth street side.
Flames Leap From Room.
A number of fire fighters ap-
preached the blaze from within the
bank building. The large room was
a veritable blast furnace and firemen
brought hose into play. They were
standing at the entrance to the room
when a sudden draught swept into
the blaze.
With great roar, the flames
leaped from the room. engulfing
those who stood near the entrance
The men fell back and the injured
were assisted up the steps to the
street level.
A Fire Rescue Squad ambulance
rushed the most seriously burned to
the hospital. Those who were or
dered to remain at Emergency were
Sergt. William j. Bunton, As, 1925
K street NV; Stewart Ritnour. 33.
318l Westover drive Sc, and Earl
Negley, Al, 1924 N. Buchanan street,
Arlington. Va, all attached to No.
l Engine Company.
Others who were treated for less
serious burns were Raymond H.
Hooper, 80, 499 I street S.W., of No.
l Engine; Sergt. Charles E. McFar-
land, "A, 5207 Sherrier place NV, of
No. 6 Engine; Capt. Joseph A. May
hew, 50, 1911 Kearney street NE,
Of the Fire Rescue Squad, and Capt.
Millard Sutton, As, 30l4 Twenty sixth
street NE, of No. 16 Engine.
More Firemen Called.
A second alarm was turned in at
4:30 am, bringing more equipment
and men to battle the difficult blaze.
There was only one door into the
brick lined room through which
water could be poured, so the fire.
men began the task of chopping
hole through the sidewalk.
Hewing a hole through the 2-foot
thick cement and brick, the fire.
men were able to pour water on the
blaze from above. The room was
soon flooded and the flames were
quenched.
S. w. Miller, treasurer of the bank,
said the fire was confined to the
one room, destroying everything in
it, but he said no damage had been
done to other parts of the bank.
The storage room, he pointed out,
was separated from other parts of
the bank where money and valua-
bles are kept. Mr.. Miller said that
only paints and a few tools were
stored in the room and that he
believed their value was less than
$500.
After ordering the alarm turned
in, Watchman Davis went down
into the smoke filled basement to
rescue a dog. then went through
the building ordering the char
women out
Flremen said that the blaze, con-
hned to the almost-sealed room and
fed by highly inflammable liquids,
was one of the hottest they ever
encountered. None could say how
it started.