Evening star., 1943-10-08
9 Companies Called
To Fight Blaze at
Chevy Chase Club
Four Suburban Areas
Hit by Fires; Water Supply
Fails at FuirIond

-Four suburban fires last night de-
stroyed store and garage-service
station at Fairland and a house at
Capital View in Prince Georges
County and damaged the Chevy
Chase Club and the Bliss Electrical
School in Montgomery County.
Total damage was estimated at ap-
| proXimately $4,000.
officials of the Chevy Chase Fire
Department said nine companies
from the county and the District
were called to put out fire which
started in the girls locker room of
the Chevy Chase Club. Connecticut
avenue and Bradley lane.
According to firemen. the blaze,
which was discovered by a night
Watchman. caused severe damage
to the girls and women's locker
rooms in the north wing of the club
house and destroyed a portion of
the roof Of the building.
Origin Not Known.
The origin of the fire had not
been determined early today. Fire
men estimated damage to the build
ing and eq3i .)ment at approximately
$4,000, but c. c. Coats, manager
OF the club. said he could not give an
estimate of damages until he knew
how much equipment in the lockers
was injured
Earlier last night a fire DESTROYED
Wrlghts store and garage owned
by Harold H. Harding at Fairland,
miles from Silver Spring. caus-
ing damage estimated at $4,000
/ Flremen said the blaze started in
the frame store of C. E Wright and
! spread to the garage nearby. Dam
age to the store was estimated at
$4,000 and the garage loss was
placed at $4,000. Four autos and
gasoline and oil supplies were de-
stroyed.
Offlcials of the Silver Spring Fire
. Department said flremen were ham,
pered by lack of water in their
efforts to bring the fire under con-
troll. While eight pieces of fire
equipment were on the scene. all
but the booster tank were forced to
remain idle for lack of water. Fire
men said water was carried from a
stream a considerable distance from
! the blaze and was pumped on the
| burning buildings.
Will Urge Cisterns.
! Meanwhile, Henry Marschalk. sec
retary of the Montgomery County
Flremen's Association, said plans to
establish system of comparatively
built cisterns to provide fire pro-
lection to all Montgomery County
crossroads communities will be pre-
| sented to the association.
Rural areas do not need city,
| type water systems to give good fire
protection if only they are pro-
| Vlded with one or more ciSterns or
| dammed-up streams which are ac-
| cesslble to modern pumping equip
ment,' Mr.. Marschalk said.
The clstern plan will call for the
clsternS to be comparatively con-
structed," he said. with the county
providing the funds and local resi-
dents the labor.
The Fairland fire last night is a
good example of the need of more
adequate fire protection facilities in
the rural areas"
The blaze at the Bliss Electrical
School, now being used by the Navy
occurred early today in roof over
one OF the dormitories, causing an
estimated $1,000 damage. The cause
of the fire had not been determined.
The Bladensburg, Cottage City and
Tuxedo Fire Departments in Prince
Georges County were called out early
today to put out fire in a vacant
house on Capital avenue in Capital
View. Firemen said damage was
| about $1,000