AI
Thursday, January 07, 2010 8:21:36 AM
(there are SEVERAL incidents of fires on the Square recorded in Tyler's history)
Moments In Time: Downtown Tyler Fires
http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20090204/NEWS08/902040368
Sources: E. David Crim, East Texas Historical Fire Society, Tyler Morning Telegraph archives.
1879: Fire destroys a building on the northwest side of the square.
1879: Raging fire destroys buildings along the entire west side of the square.
Dec. 26. 1888: Fire levels The Grand Opera House on Spring Avenue.
1893: Major fire occurs on the square's west side.
1905: Two volunteer firefighters injured in a blaze on the square's south side.
1906: Major fire occurs in the 300 block of West Ferguson.
1907: Fire destroys The Grand Opera House again.
Nov. 14, 1916: Blaze consumes the two-story Goldstein & Brown retailer on the square's west side.
1926: On the same block where Monday's blaze occurred, fire destroys the Queen Theatre. The rebuilt theater eventually is named The Arcadia.
March 12, 1947: American Legion Hall burns down at the corner of Ferguson and Fannin.
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http://www.smoaky.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92447
http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS08/902020245
More Than 50 Firefighters Work To Control Inferno
(by Tyler Morning Telegraph Staff Writers BETTY WATERS and KENNETH DEAN ........... Staff Writers Malena Ogles and Megan Middleton contributed to this report)
As several roofs collapsed, firefighters worked to control a fire in downtown Tyler — a fire that sent one firefighter to a local hospital and thick smoke billowing down South Broadway Avenue Monday night.
About 10 p.m. the flames spread to a second building, Sinclair & Wright Architects at 119 N. Spring Ave. and the aerial water attack continued.
Perched on the Smith County Courthouse annex, Tyler Fire Chief Neal Franklin directed the flow of the multiple water cannons from the roof of the directly across the street as more than 50 area firefighters worked to control the fire that is believed to have begun at 113 N. Spring Ave.
“We initially came up here to watch the men we had on the roof adjacent to where the fire is, but now we have a good bird’s eye view and are able to help best direct the water flow,” he said.
Tenants hung out the windows of loft apartments above Don Juan Mexican Restaurant on the Square watching the scene as throngs of onlookers arrived at the scene with their cameras.
Roads were blocked by police cruisers from Ferguson Street and Spring Avenue to Erwin Street and Broadway Avenue to provide access to the fire for emergency vehicles.
One Tyler firefighter was transported to the hospital for chest pains. Akins later said the firefighter was in good condition.
No one was believed to be in the building when the fire broke out, and no other injuries were reported.
“It will probably be tomorrow before we know the exact cause. We have to be able to extinguish the fire to look at it,” Tyler Fire Department Capt. Jeff Akin said.
Akin said the situation could be better than it appears because in between the burning law office and other businesses were firewalls designed to prevent the spread of fire, which began about 7:20 p.m.
“I think we’ve about got it under control,” Akin said about 10:10 p.m., adding that when the smoke begins to turn white, it’s usually a positive sign. “The firewalls saved it from getting into the other buildings, but there will be heavy smoke and water damage to the adjacent buildings. We were really lucky the wind wasn’t blowing that strong. If the wind would’ve been blowing it would’ve been really bad,” he said.
Jane Ann Morrison, whose husband owns Holcomb and Morrison Law Firm at 111 N. Spring Ave., said that her family got a call from the fire department saying the business was on fire and asking them to see if they could save any of their belongings.
“They wouldn’t let us get anywhere close to it when we got here,” Mrs. Morrison said, watching the fire burn.
On her way to the fire, Linda Reynolds, an employee at the law firm, said she started to smell smoke in front of Steinmart on South Broadway Avenue and had to close the air conditioning vents on her car.
Nathan Hoffman, an attorney whose law firm is in 111B N. Spring Ave., said exterminators were on the second floor of his building earlier in the day and were still working when he left the office about 4 p.m.
“I hope there is something left. We don’t have any insurance. We were getting ready to move. I guess we will be moving quicker than we thought,” Hoffman said.
Attorney Dan Hurst said it looked like his office, 113 N. Spring Ave., was going to be a total loss.
He said he lamented the loss of court records, case discovery and files that will have to be reworked.
He said it would probably take months to get those cases back together.
Hurst said 117 N. Spring Ave. was an empty building and both floors at 115 N. Spring were occupied by attorney Keith Miller.
Vic Taylor, owner of La Tee Da Flowers, which is south of the burning buildings, said one of his tenants in a condo upstairs from the shop called 911 when the tenant saw smoke coming from behind the building.
The La Tee Da flower shop sustained some water damage, and tenants living above the shop may be displaced until the damage is repaired.
Heavy smoke and water may have also caused damage to Arcadia, located along the strip of buildings. Levines, a department store, did not appear to be damaged.
Lindale, Dixie, Flint-Gresham, Noonday and Bullard volunteer fire departments were also on the scene and other departments were stationed at Tyler Fire Stations along with 20 off-duty Tyler firefighters called in to answer other calls in the city.
Akins said firefighters would be on the scene most of the night to make sure there were no flare ups.
http://www.smoaky.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92447
Moments In Time: Downtown Tyler Fires
http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20090204/NEWS08/902040368
Sources: E. David Crim, East Texas Historical Fire Society, Tyler Morning Telegraph archives.
1879: Fire destroys a building on the northwest side of the square.
1879: Raging fire destroys buildings along the entire west side of the square.
Dec. 26. 1888: Fire levels The Grand Opera House on Spring Avenue.
1893: Major fire occurs on the square's west side.
1905: Two volunteer firefighters injured in a blaze on the square's south side.
1906: Major fire occurs in the 300 block of West Ferguson.
1907: Fire destroys The Grand Opera House again.
Nov. 14, 1916: Blaze consumes the two-story Goldstein & Brown retailer on the square's west side.
1926: On the same block where Monday's blaze occurred, fire destroys the Queen Theatre. The rebuilt theater eventually is named The Arcadia.
March 12, 1947: American Legion Hall burns down at the corner of Ferguson and Fannin.
---
http://www.smoaky.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92447
http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS08/902020245
More Than 50 Firefighters Work To Control Inferno
(by Tyler Morning Telegraph Staff Writers BETTY WATERS and KENNETH DEAN ........... Staff Writers Malena Ogles and Megan Middleton contributed to this report)
As several roofs collapsed, firefighters worked to control a fire in downtown Tyler — a fire that sent one firefighter to a local hospital and thick smoke billowing down South Broadway Avenue Monday night.
About 10 p.m. the flames spread to a second building, Sinclair & Wright Architects at 119 N. Spring Ave. and the aerial water attack continued.
Perched on the Smith County Courthouse annex, Tyler Fire Chief Neal Franklin directed the flow of the multiple water cannons from the roof of the directly across the street as more than 50 area firefighters worked to control the fire that is believed to have begun at 113 N. Spring Ave.
“We initially came up here to watch the men we had on the roof adjacent to where the fire is, but now we have a good bird’s eye view and are able to help best direct the water flow,” he said.
Tenants hung out the windows of loft apartments above Don Juan Mexican Restaurant on the Square watching the scene as throngs of onlookers arrived at the scene with their cameras.
Roads were blocked by police cruisers from Ferguson Street and Spring Avenue to Erwin Street and Broadway Avenue to provide access to the fire for emergency vehicles.
One Tyler firefighter was transported to the hospital for chest pains. Akins later said the firefighter was in good condition.
No one was believed to be in the building when the fire broke out, and no other injuries were reported.
“It will probably be tomorrow before we know the exact cause. We have to be able to extinguish the fire to look at it,” Tyler Fire Department Capt. Jeff Akin said.
Akin said the situation could be better than it appears because in between the burning law office and other businesses were firewalls designed to prevent the spread of fire, which began about 7:20 p.m.
“I think we’ve about got it under control,” Akin said about 10:10 p.m., adding that when the smoke begins to turn white, it’s usually a positive sign. “The firewalls saved it from getting into the other buildings, but there will be heavy smoke and water damage to the adjacent buildings. We were really lucky the wind wasn’t blowing that strong. If the wind would’ve been blowing it would’ve been really bad,” he said.
Jane Ann Morrison, whose husband owns Holcomb and Morrison Law Firm at 111 N. Spring Ave., said that her family got a call from the fire department saying the business was on fire and asking them to see if they could save any of their belongings.
“They wouldn’t let us get anywhere close to it when we got here,” Mrs. Morrison said, watching the fire burn.
On her way to the fire, Linda Reynolds, an employee at the law firm, said she started to smell smoke in front of Steinmart on South Broadway Avenue and had to close the air conditioning vents on her car.
Nathan Hoffman, an attorney whose law firm is in 111B N. Spring Ave., said exterminators were on the second floor of his building earlier in the day and were still working when he left the office about 4 p.m.
“I hope there is something left. We don’t have any insurance. We were getting ready to move. I guess we will be moving quicker than we thought,” Hoffman said.
Attorney Dan Hurst said it looked like his office, 113 N. Spring Ave., was going to be a total loss.
He said he lamented the loss of court records, case discovery and files that will have to be reworked.
He said it would probably take months to get those cases back together.
Hurst said 117 N. Spring Ave. was an empty building and both floors at 115 N. Spring were occupied by attorney Keith Miller.
Vic Taylor, owner of La Tee Da Flowers, which is south of the burning buildings, said one of his tenants in a condo upstairs from the shop called 911 when the tenant saw smoke coming from behind the building.
The La Tee Da flower shop sustained some water damage, and tenants living above the shop may be displaced until the damage is repaired.
Heavy smoke and water may have also caused damage to Arcadia, located along the strip of buildings. Levines, a department store, did not appear to be damaged.
Lindale, Dixie, Flint-Gresham, Noonday and Bullard volunteer fire departments were also on the scene and other departments were stationed at Tyler Fire Stations along with 20 off-duty Tyler firefighters called in to answer other calls in the city.
Akins said firefighters would be on the scene most of the night to make sure there were no flare ups.
http://www.smoaky.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92447
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