Evening star., 1953-01-17
; Likely Causes
OF Tire Plant.
Blast Studied
Report Moy Be Ready
Monday on Explosion
Thut Injured so

Thut Injured SO
At least three possible causes
were advanced today by officials
investigating the Standard Tire
& Battery Co. explosion which
injured more than so persons
Acting Fire Marshal Roy War
field said a final report may be
ready by Monday, after his Of
flee. police and agents Of the
National Board of Fire Under
writer's have completed their
study.
At this time. 1t appears the
at Tenth and H streets
NE. may have resulted from
Cd natural gas leakage, CD
rubber cement or CD a back
draft.
Firemen regard ventilation of
a fire as the most important
safeguard against explosions. In
this basement fire, ventilation
was particularly difficult, and
f1remen had called for a pneu-
matte drill to pierce the concrete
floor.
Drilling When Blast Came.
They were putting a third hole
through the floor when the blast
occurred, injuring A f1remen. and
several policemen and civilians.
Ventilation releases gases and
fumes which might explode II
they were shut up.
When there is an outside cut
off, firemen often stop the flow
Of gas into a burning building.
But in many other cases, where
turning off the gas might in
convenience apartment house
dwellers or others, the gas is
not turned off. The gas company
must be called to restore gas to
the building.
Although there was an outside
cutoff at Thursdays fire. the
gas remained on.
Mr.. Warfield said the gas was
turned off after the explosion.
In going over the fire area, in
vestigators learned that a 2-inch
main ran through it for vulcan
iZing purposes. However, the
machinery had not been used in
some months, he said.
Hottest at Bottom of Room.
Probing through the ruins, the
officials found that the lower of
two gas meters had melted in
the heat, but the upper was in
tact, showing that the fire was
hottest at the bottom of the
room.
About SO jars of rubber tire
cement, some of them broken or
burned. were found in the debris.
Samples of the cement are being
tested at a District laboratory to
determine whether it's chemical
content might explode.
Both Mr.. Warfleld and Acting
Fire Chief Fred Literal said
they would favor a District regu-
lation against storage Of such
material if it were found re-
sponsible for the explosion.
Back Draft Possibility.
The possibility that a back
draft" caused the blast has not
been overlooked. Such a condi-
ton is caused by sudden intro
duction of new oxygen to a burn
ing area almost depleted of air.
Investigators were withdrawn
from the rubble yesterday for
fear the concrete floor and walls
might tumble in on them. To-
day Mr.. Warfield hoped to call
on f1remen trapped inside the
explosion area, for tlair views
on what happened. "
Chief Literal said firemen
always followed the ventilating
process to eliminate blast haz-
ards. In cases where there Is
obvious danger of explosions the
firemen are not permitted to
enter buildings, he said.
Sutton Off Critical List.
Fire Chief MilIard Sutton, one
Of those injured in the blast, was
taken off the critical list but
was still in serious condition at
Casualty Hospital where II other
firemen remained under treat
ment. Pvt. Harry Ingram. 38.
was on the critical list at CAL
linger Hospital.
Chief Sutton was partially
buried when he fell through the
floor. Marine T/Sergt. Eugene
33, of 4451 c street
Sc, who was standing across
the street from the fire awaiting
repairs on his car, pulled Chief
Sutton from the wreckage.