Evening star., 1951-12-29

tie last night.
At least eight firemen were over
come by smoke. Flames shot 90
Pictures on Poee All.
~~~~~--
feet into the air and attracted
more than 5000 persons to the
scene.
Fire companies from Washing.
ton and Montgomery County
rushed to RoSslyn to reinforce the
hard-pressed firemen from Arling-
ton, Alexandria and Fairfax
County. Arlington Fire Chief AL
bert Scheffell said it was the worst
fire in the county since 1926.
Night Watchman Jesse Moore
Sc, colored, discovered the blaze
In the carpentry building on the
acre-and-a-half lumber yard 1t
1920 North Fort Myer Drive at
s:18 pm. He emptied two fire
extinguishers. but the fire con-
tinued to spread.
Runs Block to Give Alarm.
IT ran into the office and tried
to call the fire department" Mr..
Moore said. Il tried for five or
ten minutes, but I couldn't get
the operator so I ran to a filling
station about a block away and
told them to call the fire depart
ment. Then I ran back to the
yard. By that time the flames
were up to the second story and
there wasn't much I could do"
Famed by winds that blew in
32-mile-an-hour gusts. the flames
spread quickly from the carpen-
try building to stacks of dried
lumber in the yard.
A general alarm was sounded,
calling out all Arlington fire.
fighting equipment as soon as the
first companies reached the scene.
Apparatus from Alexandria, Falls
Church. Fort Myer and Fairfax
County was summoned, but the
blaze continued to spread.
At 9:58 pm. the District Fire
Department was asked to help.
Deputy Fire Chief Roy Hanback,
and I'd Battalion Chief Charles
L. Caller raced to Rosslyn with II
pieces of apparatus.
Other Companies Respond.
The Bethesda, Silver Spring and
Glen Echo Fire Departments sent
companies to assist.
By this time the red glow in the
sky over Rosslyn was visible from
most sections of Washington and
thousands of motorists started
toward the scene. Police barred
traffic from Key Bridge, the
Whitehurst freeway, Wilson boule-
ward and other approaches to the
area. Metropolitan police sent
20 men to assist Arlington County
police. Military policemen from
Fort Myer were called out to help
control the surging crowd.
Time and again firemen were
driven back when the strong wind
sent the flames roaring toward
them with blow torch ferocity.
Showers of sparks scared from the
Inferno in the heart of the blaze.
Poles carrying high tension
wires were devoured by the flames
and the Virginia Electric Power
Co. sent out emergency crews to
cut off the current. Firenen were
warned to exercise extreme eau
tlon until the power was cut off.
Nearby Buildings Damaged.
Fire companies were diverted
from the lumber yard to spray
nearby buildings to keep the fire
from spreading. A number of
windows in the Hajoca Corp.
building, across the street from
the lumber yard, were shattered
by the intense heat. Windows
also were broken in a geophysical
laboratory at North Nash street
and Key boulevard In back of the
lumber yard.
At 1885 am, Chief Scheffell
decided the blaze was under con-
troll and released the District and
Montgomery County fire COM
panies. Arlington County fire.
men, however, fought the blaze
throughout the night and were
still on the scene this morning
pouring water on the smoldering
ruins.
Hot coffee and sandwiches we're
given to the weary flremen by the
Georgetown Corps of the Saliva
ton Army and the Arlington Red
Cross Chapter.
The Bethesda Chevy Chase res
cue squad with 80 squadsmen, led
by Capt. c. E. Loomis, established
a temporary first-aid station in
the back of a moving van about
block from the fire to treat fire.
men felled by the dense smoke.
Most of them returned to their
posts.
Water Fells Fireman.
Arlington Fireman Quentin T.
Wahl, 20, of 423 S. Veitch street.
was taken to Arlington Hospital
after he was knocked unconscious
by the stream from a fire hose
He was released after enneroepcv
treatment.
Cause of the blaze could not
be determined. Mr.. Moore said
he had stocked the furnace in
the carpentry building only a few
minutes before he discovered the
blaze and everything seemed to
be in order then. The fire started
in a locked storeroom next to the
furnace room.
EArAnean g. Ma