Evening star., 1949-02-17
New York Avenue Fire
Probe Is Centered on
Cleaning Fluids Used

The Fire Marshal's Office today
was investigating cleaning fluids
used by the Golden Star Valet
Service, New York avenue and
Fourteenth street NV, scene of a
three-alarm fire yesterday after
noon.
The Golden Star establishment,
which houses complete cleaning
plant in its four story building,
specializes in cleaning while-you-
wait" and a crowd that grew to
several thousand watched f1remen
help pants-less customers down
ladders from the third floor.
Traffic at the corner, one of
Washington's busiest, was tied up
for almost an hour, as firemen ran
lines to the fire from every nearby
hydrant.
EmpIoye, 16, Injured.
One person was injured. He was
William Alexander. l6. colored
of ga M street S.W., an employe.
He is in the Emergency hospital
with severe burns on the face.
arms and legs. His condition is
listed as critical.
Fire Marshal Raymond c..
Roberts began the investigation,
after talking to the youth in the
hospital. The boy said the fire
started while he was in the base
ment drawing some fluid from a
drum into a pail. Some OF 1t
spilled on the floor. he said, and
burst into flame. He was burned,
he said. running through the
flames.
Miss Mary Parker, a resident Of
Arcturus. on the Mount Vernon
boulevard, south Of Alexandria.
said she was talking to the man
ager about fixing the heel of an
evening slipper when young col
ored boy ran past her and fell
into the vestibule, his trousers
still burning. Some one beat out
the burning clothes and put him
In a taxicab, she said.
The fire quickly worked up into
the shoe repair Workroom on the
first floor. a recently partitioned
cubicle with only a small opening.
It burned like a smoke pot. De-
spite a drizZling rain a pail OF
smoke hung over the entire area.
Leaning Out Windows.
When the fireman arrived the
customers of the while-you-Wait
service on the third floor. where
booths are located. were leaning
out the windows. laughing and
joking.
Capt. Howson McLearen of No.
3 Truck Company said all that
changed quickly when the smoke
began to roll out behind them.
He was afraid one man would
jump, he said, and he kept shout
ing at him. Wait a minute"
until the ladder was run UP.
Klaus Dorm, 1916 Nineteenth
street NV, a magazine writer,
who weighs 260 pounds. came
down the ladder minus his pants.
He was wearing his overcoat but
it revealed his blue shorts at every
step. Robert I. Gudger, 235 Wes-
mond drive, Alexandria, student
in a commercial art school who
drives taxi, grabbed the first
pair of pants he could find. Mr..
Gudger is six foot three. The
trousers he grabbed belonged to
the foreman of the cleaning shop,
small man. They did not go
much below Mr.. Gudger's knees.
He also came down the ladder.
Beauty Shop Empties.
The seven students and three
customers in the Maybelle Beauty
School on the second floor of 1888
New York avenue NV. were driven
out by smoke. They walked down
the stairs.
Hyman Zoslow, owner of the
Golden Star, was unable to esti-
mate the damage.
Several patrons were forced to
run pantsless to the street last
May 20 when a fire broke out in
the shop. A two-alarm fire caused
slight damage there on February
8, 1941.
Wushinoton-lee PIA