8/13/1884 two Boston, MA firefighters “were burned to death when the roof collapsed, and they fell into the inferno at 108-112 Beech Street, Downtown (the “Old Beech Street Markey”). Three alarms were sounded from Box 54 (Oxford & Beech Streets).”
8/13/1913 a Brooklyn, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died while operating at a four-alarm fire.”
8/13/1938 a Los Angeles, CA firefighter “died at a fire in the Western Candy Box factory on East Sixty-Third street. While helping lead a hose to the top of forty-foot ladder, the sudden pressure of water toppled him to the ground. He died on the way to the hospital.”
8/13/1963 four Cleveland, Ohio “firefighters were killed at the scene when the Avis Rent -A -Truck Garage at 1204 Carnegie Avenue S.E. exploded. Many more were also injured. The explosion was due to a leaking propane truck that was parked inside the garage. One firefighter died from burns from explosion almost two weeks later on September 1, 1963.”
8/13/1980 a Brooklyn, New York (FDNY) “firefighter died while operating at a three-alarm fire when he was caught in the collapse of the fire building.”
8/13/2001 a Niagara Falls, New York firefighter died after “a lightning strike caused a fire in a three-story apartment complex for the elderly. He and members of his department responded. He initially assisted with the evacuation of the building and then joined firefighting efforts. About an hour into the incident, during overhaul on the third-floor, he collapsed.”
8/13/2006 a Green Bay, WI firefighter “fell through the floor down into the burning basement when he and his partner entered a home to fight a fire. He died from his injuries.”
8/13/2011 Jackson, MS a 28-year-old woman and her four children, ages two, three, five and seven-years-old, were killed in an apartment fire.
8/12/2009 Mattawa, WA near Spokane, a mother and her two young children were killed in a home fire.
8/13/1945 Detroit, MI a fire in a box factory at Grand River Avenue and Fifteenth Street killed fourteen and injured fifty-two. “The blaze broke out as the 180 employees, mostly women, were in the midst of a rest period and were listening to a juke box. Apparently, disbelieving a shout of fire from the first floor of the two-story factory building, the workers continued to listen to the blaring of the mechanical player until flames began licking the stairway.”
8/13/1925 Goliad, TX five buildings in the Courthouse Square were destroyed by fire. The fire started in the cleaning and pressing shop when a boiler exploded.
8/13/1909 Milton, DE conflagration: almost the entire town was destroyed by fire.
8/13/1904 a wildfire in Camborne, BC causes the evacuation of several prospectors.
8/13/1886 a wildfire destroyed the logging community in Brown County, WI.
8/13/1885 the powder storehouse in Silver City, NM exploded. “The building stood on a hill and was struck by lightning.”
8/13/1858 Alton, IL a fire at the penitentiary destroys several buildings about 8:00 p.m. that started in one of the workshops, in the yard of the State prison. “Two of the workshops, the dining hall, chapel, hospital, kitchen and two or three other small buildings were destroyed.”
8/13/1953 the National Safety Council incorporated by Congress.
August 13th is International Left-Hander’s Day.