Evening star., 1941-04-06
Ruins Are Searched
In Vain for Cause
OF S250,o00 Fire
Flames Ruze Furniture
Store in Southeast;
Four Firemen Injured

Through the smoldering ruins OF
the w. E. Miller Furniture Store at
Eighth street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. Sc, the District fire marshal
poked his way late yesterday seek
ing clue to the cause of the roar
ing four-alarm fire which wrecked
the place during the morning, in
juring four firemen and causing
damage estimated at $250,000.
Fire Marshal Calvin LAUDER and
his assistant, Ray Roberts, succeed
ed in locating the spot in which the
fire started, but were mystifled as
to its cause.
The blaze had its origin in a
locked storage room on the third
floor of the building. No one had
been in the room since the store
closed at S pm. Friday and j. D.
Miller. manager of the store and
brother of the owner. said he was
certain there was nothing in the
storage space which could have
caused spontaneous combustion.
Ernest Austin, stock man in the
store, was on the third floor and
discovered the fire. He attempted
to use an extinguisher on it, but
was driven back by smoke.
Flames Spread Rapidly.
From that point. the blaze spread
rapidly through the old building,
apparently creeping along in the
space between the roof and the CELL
ing of the top floor Within a few
minutes. the top floor was a mass
of flames.
Firemen poured tons of water into
the place, but the fire got worse. A
section of wall collapsed, sending
shower of bricks down on to the
sidewalk. The blaze spread to an
annex of the building and soon
flames were shooting out of the
upper windows of this structure.
Three small houses between the
main store and the annex sprouted
flames.
1t was two hours before Fire
Chief Stephen T. Porter, who had
been directing the operations of
the firemen, announced that the
flames were under control.
The entire top floor had been
destroyed and it was apparent that
mgost of the building was beyond
repair.
The store was opened at am.
and it was not until $50 am. that
the fire was discovered. At that
time, there were Is or 20 people
in the place, including few GUS
toners.
Heat Routs Manager.
When Mr.. Miller. the manager,
heard the cry of fire. he rushed
upstairs with an extinguisher.
1T was too hot for me-" he said
later. Il turned back and ran
downstairs. I made all the employees
get out of the store Immediately"
The store is next door to the No.
7 firehouse and this company re-
sponded Immediately. Firemen
took one glance at the blaze and
turned in a second alarm. Within
a AC" llllId dldl III HdS
sounded. The fourth alarm fol-
lowed Immediately. and for an hour
afterwards, equipment was respond
ing to special alarms.
Flames poured out of the VIM
dows as flremen brought hoses into
play. At this time, the blaze was
confined to the main part of the
store. Smoke was pouring out and.
kept low by the heavy mist and
drizzle, drifted west over the city.
The smoke was so thick that it
drove the crowds back from the
scene and drifted into the lower
Pennsylvania avenue section at the
foot of Capitol Hill.
Fireman Overcome.
The flremen were pressing close
to the blaze, directing streams from
ladders and huge towers. Some
groped through the building and
one, I. j. Steed. Sc. of 326 Tennessee
avenue NE, dropped to the floor
in the building, overcome by smoke.
He was helped out by other FIRE
men, was revived and went back
to fire fighting. Chief Porter or
dered his men back to new vantage
points when he saw many of them
suffering from effects of the smoke
and heat.
A short time after the firemen
had given ground, a crack ap-
peared in the wall which faced
on Pennsylvania avenue. Suddenly
a section of the wall gave way
and bricks, glass and steel rained
down on the sidewalk where fire.
men had been standing a few
minutes before.
Through the gap in the wall, fire.
men directed the streams of water.
But the fire, instead of diminish
ing, increased its fury. From the
annex on Eighth street-connected
with the main building, but not
built as part of it-flames poured
forth.
Chief Porter directed heavy
water pressure on the new fire.
Flames licked along the roofs of
the three small buildings at 404-
406-408 Eighth street, which are
sandwiched between the main fur
niture store building and the annex
Postal Substation Threatened.
One of these buildings houses the
Southeast postal substation. When
the fire threatened this structure,
money and other valuables were re-
moved.
At this point, the fire was at its
height. Flames were pouring out OF
the windows of both the main
building and annex. Firemen were
standing on the roof of their owr
station house, pouring water on