Evening star., 1945-12-18
'$25O,o00 Blaze
HitsA|exandrid
Del Ray Area
Two Buildings Ruined,
ID Families Routed
In Predown Fire

ID Families Routed
In Predown Fire
A fire that routed IA families
from their beds and drove them
into the street in the extreme
cold early today caused an esti-
mated $250,000 damage in the
Del Ray section OF Alexandria.
F1remen were hampered by wa
ter freezing on helmets and
rubber coats.
A previous blaze In the 400 block
OF Corcoran street NV. last night
was extinguished by District fire.
men who experienced the same din
culties. The fire badly damaged
two buildings.
The Alexandria fire burned out .
large store and apartment building
at 24l5 Mount Vernon avenue and a
two-story bowling alley next door.
Both appeared to be completely
ruined. The estimate of damages
was made by James M. Duncan,
chief of the Alexandria Fire De.
partment.
Manager Gave Warning.
Carl Hough, manager of the apart
ment building who lives with his
wife and son in one of the 13 apart
ments on the second floor, said he
had been awakened by the man In
the next apartment, Albert Fugu.
cite. The building was filing with
smoke. Mr.. Hough said he ran out
and rang a fire alarm. The alarm
was recorded at 2:23 am.
Mr.. Hough returned and went
through the building telling the peo-
pie to get out. He said there were
40 persons on the second floor and
three in the penthouse above. AL
were accounted for. Neighbors
aroused by the arrival of fire en-.
gines, took them in.
The building housed a large Fire
stone store, barber shop operated
by Edward Collins, a restaurant op-
Grated by George Papageorge, a
radio and electric shop operated by
Fred McLein and a beauty shop.
The bowling alleys are owned and
operated by j. H. Poladian, who owns
both buildings.
An observer said the roof fell in
about am. and flames shot so
feet high.
Smoke Hampers Firefighters.
Firemen said the fire apparently
had started in the rear of the base
:nent under the Firestone store,
Smoke was so thick when they ar
rived they had difficulty in reaching
the fire.
George Welker, 412 King street.
volunteer who was helping the
firemen by putting up barricade
to keep automobiles out of the area
was struck by an automobile. He
was taken to the Alexandria Hos
pital with broken leg. Grayson
MoCool, 3o4 East Alexandria ave-
nue., was arrested by police a.
driver of the car and charged with
reckless driving.
Two firemen injured were L. w.
Devers, Presidential Gardens, and
Thomas johnson, of the 200 block Of
Hume avenue, Alexandria. Mr. Dew
ers was treated by the rescue squad
at the scene for frozen feet. Mr..
johnson, who suffered a broken
thumb, was treated at the Alex
andria Hospital and returned to the
fire.
Purple Heart Medal Lost.
Alexandria firemen fought the
blaze for hours with four bumpers.
A quadruple truck and an aerial
truck were also at the scene.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bryson, one Of the
tenants, was more disturbed by the
loss of a Purple Heart medal that
had just come in the mail for her
son, a sailor now in Navy hospital,
than by the loss of her furniture,
jewelry and Christmas presents
which she had just finished wrap
ping.
AL the tenants, watching the
smoldering ruins within the brick
walls Of the building, spoke Of losing
Christmas presents. Several said
they had no insurance.
Finds Two Lamps.
Mr.. McLein, who started the radio
and electric shop year ago with
CT loan after his discharge from
the Army, poked in the debris and
came out triumphantly holding two
f1uorescent bed lamps.
"This is all have from my store"
he said.
Clarence Lusby, an apartment
tenant, came home from the Navy
only last week. He got out of the
building with his wife and 5-year.
old daughter, but lost all his clothes.
He returned to the fire wearing Z
suit belonging to his brother.
Driven From Homes.
In Corcoran street, % persons, all
co,ored, were driven from their
homes at 7:45 o'clock last night by a
fire which caused four alarms to be
turned in before 1t was brought un-
der control. Firemen said the blazs
appeared to have been started by
a 4-year-old boy playing with
matches.
The flames spread through the
buildings at 1885 and 1887 Four
teenth street.
Among those driven to the street
by the blaze, police listed Vincent
Brown, 20; his sister Jewell Brown,
IA, and two cousins, Charles Brown.
6, and Donald Brown, 4, all of whom
were in the building at 1885; Mrs. G.
j. Irby, Mrs. Marie Brown, William
Preston, Arlene Irby, IL; Mrs.
Georgia Jones and her two infant
children, Priscilla and Everett.
1.-Two Held for jury Action !.