Evening star., 1955-02-05
.FairfaxMan,73,
Dies in | Of )
AreaFires
Son Being Sought;
$4,000 BIoze Hits
Dry-CIeonine Shop

A 73-year-olo man burned 10
death and two firemen were in
jred in two of three 3-alarn
fires which broke out in the
Washington area early today,
Fairfax County police identi-
fed the fatality as Christopher
Petit, retired sheet metal
worker, who died when fire de-
stroyed his one-story frame
house ON Pole road near Route /,
S miles south of Alexandria.
The Fairfax County Fire Board
said ashes in the fatal fire are
being searched on the chance
there may have been other
victims. They said Clarence
Petit, a son of the dead man, has
not been accounted for since yes
terday and two other men were
reported to have lived in the
house.
The firemen we're injured
fighting a blaze which destroyed
first floor tailor-dry cleaning
shop at 1020-1026 U street NV.
Hurt in Falls.
Treated at Emergency Hos
pital and released were No. 2
Rescue SQUAD Firemen Charles
T. Brown, AZ, of 11104 Midvale
road, Kensington. Md, who suf-
fered back contusions, and Will
liam Van F'ossen. %. of 1921
Middle road, Silver Spring, Md.
who suffered a left knee sprain.
Both were hurt in falls.
The third of the three-alarm
fires, in which there were no
injuries, caused an estimated
$4,000 damage when flames
ragged through the second floors
of three row houses at 207-211
Wilkes street, Alexandria.
In the Alexandria blaze, which
broke out at GAS am, neighbors
succeeded in saving virtually all
the first-foor furniture in the
three homes.
Firenen from Penn Daw,
Mount Vernon and Fort Belvoir
fought the Pole road blaze.
Found in Basement.
! Fairfax police said the badly
charred body of Mr.. Petit was
found OH a coal pile in the base
ment of the cottage. The main
floor had fallen through and in
dications, police said, were the
man had been trying to get out.
In addition to Clarence, Mr..
Petit, leaves three other sons.
Christopher, jr., and Harry, Of
Engleside, Va, and Raymond, Of
Washington. Two ught ters.
Mrs. William Dodd. of Engleside,
and Mrs. Hartwell Sisson, Of
Landover Hills, Md, and two
brothers. Albert Petit, of Fran
coma, and Charles Petit, of En-
gleside. also survive.
Damage in the U street tailor
cleaning, shop blaze was esti-
mated at $25,OOO by Albert
Thompson. colored, proprietor Of
the Wal-Thom Tailor Shop.
Deputy Fire Chief J. w. Kay
said the fire apparently started
in the shops cleaning room, and
destroyed the entire first-fioor
establishment. The blaze spread
to the ceiling, however. and broke
through into at least one Of
several second-foor offices, oc-
cupled by a dentist, DR.. r. E.
Smith, jr.
The U street fire was discov-
cred shortly after 6 am, almost
precisely the same time as the
three-alarm fire on Wilkes street
in Alexandria was discovered.
Miss Doris Witnack, who lives
with roommate, Miss Naomi
Sape, at 209 Wilkes. said she was
awakened by the smell of smoke
in her Second-foor bedroom. She
called firemen, then alerted her
adjoining neighbors, Warren
Dean Black, of 207 Wilkes. and
Navy Capt. and Mrs. William A.
Ashford. of 211 Wilkes.
Mr.. Black said at first the
residents only saw smoke curl
ing from a partition between
two of the homes and didn't
think it was too serious.
The partition broke into
!; flames. however, and quickly
spread through the second floors
of the three houses and third
floor attic in Mr.. Blacks home
, before firemen got the fire under
; control.
. Before the blaze was extin-
guished a large crowd of neigh
borS carted virtually all the first
floor furniture to a shed at the
rear of the houses. Residents
of the burned homes were taken
L., IL