Evening star., 1941-10-13
S13,000,000 Blaze
Knocks Defense Plant
Out Of Production
II Firemen in Hospitals
After Firestone Fire;
F. B. |. Is Investigating
BY the Associated Press.

FALL RIVER, Mass, Oct. ia
great factory for defense was out
of production today after furious
and explosive fire which ravaged
huge stores of Government rubber
ard equipment for the armed forces
at an estimated loss of S13000,00
Firemen from 30odd Massa-
chusettS and Rhode Island cities
fought more than eight hours to
curb the blaze, which fed on highly
combustible latex and crude rubber
in racing through most of the water
front plant of the Firestone Rubber
& LateX Corp here
Roger Firestone. head of the firm.
said he believed manufacture of gas
masks, barrage balloons and car
fridge belts could be resumed early
next week in mills which escaped
the flames.
About 1000 of $500 employees were
reported left idle by the conf1agra-
ton, New Englands third worst in
property damage.
Pending an appraisal. the COM
pany withheld an estimate of the
loss, but a plant executive termed
an unofficial figure of s13,OO00eO
conservative. =
Five Structures Destroyed.
The flames, generating heat SO
intense that firemen were unable
to stay within effective reach, de-
stroyed five large structures and
damaged three others before being
controlled after dawn yesterday.
Eleven firemen were hospitalized
for minor injuries and smoke in
halation.
The blaze originated, a workman
said, in an oven in a small room
on the third floor of a fve-story
brick manufacturing building where
rubber automobile cushions were
being heat-cured. Seven workmen
fled to safety after finding fire
extinguishers were ineffective.
Eye Witness Story.
This is the story told by one of
seven men in the room where the
fire started:
Il was one of seven men in the
sponge department on the third
floor of the building in which the
fire started.
I'VE had placed some white pow
dered rubber in an oven about 25
by 40 feet in size for the final curing
or drying out process before press
ing it into automobile cushions.
we noticed some smoke start
from the oven and rushed for ex-
tinguisherS at hand We turned
them on the oven, but the smoke
bllloWed out with such force and in
such volume that we were driven
away from it with the result our
streams could not reach it.
Men Ordered Out.
1--WE were suffering horribly from
the acrid fumes and after 10 min
utes of effort We we're ordered out
for safety.
"As We dashed down the stairs
to the second floor we saw a burst
of flames through conveyor belt
openings in the ceiling.
AS We reached the ground floor
we met firemen rushing up hose
lines through the stairWell
They worked on the first floor,
but within few minutes found it
impossible to remain there and they
also had to retire and set up their
lines outside the building.
From then on it was just cash
of flames through the structure"
Freight Cars Saved.
At the height of the fire, intrepid
engineers drove a locomotive into
the mill yard along tracks only
few feet from the stretching flames
and pulled to safety freight cars as
quickly as they were loaded with
rubber products from a threatened
she'd
Spread by wind and repeated ex-
plosions of chemicals, the flames
reached two four-story buildings
containing machinery and stocks in
process of manufacture and two
large warehouses reported to have
neld 10000 tons or more of Govern
ment-owned emergency rubber.
The Federal Bureau of InveStiga-
ton began an investigation GUS
tomary in fires affecting defense
industry.
Edward Trainer, vice president
and production manager, said his
company hoped to be "able to rebuild
on the site of the burned build
lngs."
At Washington, Representative
Martin, Republican, of Massachu-
sets said he was inquiring as to
whether any Federal assistance was
needed because of the blaze. He
added that he expected to offer to
Firestone officials his help in obtain
ing any necessary Government aid
IN restoring the plant.
$4,000 Fire in Lansing.
LANSING, Mich, Oct. 13 (P.-A