Evening star., 1952-05-09
Spectacular Fire
|At Scates Store
Laid 10 Wiring
Furniture Dealer
Says Loss May
Reach ST Million

NS0Su ~ tNSuhtbOtb
A spectacular fiash-fire which
burned out the Malcolm Scates
furniture store. 4121 Thirteenth
street NV, last night, was, still
being probed today.
Fire Chief Roy A. Warfield said
preliminary Investigations had
placed the blame on a short cir
cuited extension cord. The cord
connected a time clock with sew
eral display lamps, he declared.
When the clock automatically
turned the current on at Z o'clock
a short circuit set nearby window
draperies on fire, Chief Warfield
said. The blaze quickly raced
through the entire building.
MIR. Scates. the owner, who suf-
fered a slight hand injury try
ing to save records, estimated
damage at between $500,0OO
and 81 million" in addition to
unestimated damage to the build
ing. Everything was covered by
insurance, he said. Two of his
statesmen also suffered minor
burns.
The two-alarm blaze broke out
just after two customers had left
the big brick building with its
modernistic front. It was first
seen by Albert S. Donovan, As, a
salesman, and Immediately AFTER
ward by Vincent Raubaugh, an
other salesman.
Mr.. Donovan said he had lust
waited on the customers in the
rear of the store when he saw
flames shooting out near some
drapes in the northwest show
window on Thirteenth street.
Flames Spread Rapidly.
1T went up like a fash" he
said. "The front window broke
out and then the ceiling started to
care in. was in hotel fire once,
and I have seen other fires, but 7
never saw anything like this"
Within a few minutes, he said.
the flames raced through the en-
tire store. Mr.. Donovan and an
other salesman, Winfield johnson,
suffered slight burns. On being
warned of the blaze, Mr.. johnson
and Bill White, also a salesman,
had grabbed fire extinguishers to
fight the flames.
i Mr.. Scates was cut on the right
hand when he broke in a window
in an attempt to open a rear door
to try to save records. He was
treated by private physician.
On each side of the building are
gasoline stations, which were not
damaged. The operator of one
, of them, William Allen. said that,
when the fire was called to his
attention, he ran O. the front Of
the store, but all he could see was
a small flicker of flame.
OuOuCuAJ AtUdIS Up
"Then." he said, lit suddenly
roared up. The big window blew
out. A ball of flame mushroomed
out. too. 1t looked like an atom
bomb had gone Off"
Firemen said the blaze did its
damage within 10 minutes and
was brought under control in that
time. A pail of smoke covered a
three-block area for some time.
however, and drew hundreds Of
persons to the scene.
The building had one story in
front and two in the rear. A part
of it, used for storing furniture,
located under the rear part of
the showroom, suffered water
damage. A large wing, contain
ing administrative Offices and
stored furniture, was unchanged.
Mr.. Scates said several thou
sands of dollars in cash, repre-
Senting the days receipts, were
destroyed. Paul c. Greening, the
credit manager, saved the records
Of accounts receivable.
Furniture Burns on Lawn.
After the fire, hundreds Of
Ipieces of charred furniture were
Ipiled on the grass lawn in front
of the 18-year- r-old building. which
had been improved within the last
five years. Most of the pieces
again caught fire on the grass
and f1remen had to quench these
small blazes with high-pressure
hand hoses.
Mr.. Scates said that, earlier in
the day, some workmen were
hanging drapes in display win
dows. He said electrical wiring
circuits might have been dis
.1turbed, resulting in a short circuit.
The lighting circuits in the win
dows were not on at the time the
fire occurred, but were due to
light up shortly afterward by
timeclock mechanisms. The store
was to remain open until 8 pm.
for Thursday evening shoppers.