On 5/22/1964 the Bellflower Street Conflagration “occurred on a windy and unseasonably warm day in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The wind-driven fire began on a back porch of a wood frame “three-decker” dwelling and quickly spread destroying or damaging 35 multifamily dwellings. The conflagration would greatly tax the resources of the Boston Fire Department and the Greater Boston mutual-aid network before being brought under control. It took eight hours for the fire to be completely put out. When it was over, an entire neighborhood had been destroyed and, although several firefighters and citizens were injured, no fatalities were recorded… A three-decker is a type of three-story apartment building that is often also called a triple-decker in parts of the United States. These buildings are typically Type V balloon frame wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment. Originally extended families lived on two or all three floors. Sometimes the owner would occupy the lower floor and rent out the upper floors. Both stand-alone three-unit buildings and semi-detached versions featuring six units sharing a party wall on each level are common. They also are often referred to as wood frame tenement houses. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tens of thousands of three-deckers were constructed, mostly in New England, as an economical means of housing the thousands of newly-arrived immigrant workers who filled the factories of the area that fueled the late Industrial Revolution. The economics of the three-decker is simple: the cost of the land, basement, and roof are spread among three or six apartments, which typically have identical floor plans. The three-decker apartment house was seen as an alternative to the row housing built in other cities of the Northeastern United States during this period, such as in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.”
On 5/22/1892 a Saint Paul, Minnesota firefighter “was killed when he fell into the flywheel of the Stock Yard’s feed elevator.”
On 5/22/1898 a Toledo, Ohio firefighter was “killed by falling walls at Dow & Snell Wholesale Grocery, at Superior & Jefferson.”
On 5/22/1903 a Portland, Maine firefighter “died as a result of being badly burned on April 26, 1903, at Sturdivant’s Wharf.”
On 5/22/1938 a Chicago, Illinois firefighter “died of smoke inhalation while operating at a three-alarm fire at a fire at 3227 S. Kedzie.”
On 5/22/1962 a Chevy Chase, Maryland firefighter died when he “and fellow firefighters were fighting a single-family home basement fire when an explosion occurred. The explosion injured four firefighters and fatally injured one.”
On 5/22/1964 a Newark, New Jersey firefighter died while “he was working on the roof of a wood-frame structure during a fire when he collapsed.”
On 5/22/2001 a Newark, New Jersey firefighter died at a “fire in a 2-story wood frame building. Upon arrival, firefighters reported a working fire on the top floor of the building. The firefighter stretched a 1-inch handline to the fire floor and operated the line at that location. An order to evacuate the building was given, but he either did not hear or was unable to comply with the order. He was found face down with his facepiece off and not breathing. He was removed from the building while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and he was transported to the hospital. The cause of death was listed as asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation.”
On 5/22/2010 a Shawnee, Kansas firefighter died while working at a residential structure fire. “The Shawnee Fire Department received a residential fire alarm report at 8:52 p.m. and dispatched a single company. Additional calls reporting a working fire generated the response of a full alarm assignment of three engines, two quints, a Command Officer, and a medic unit. Firefighters arrived on the scene and found a working fire in a 6,000-square-foot residence. The firefighter was assigned to search and rescue in the structure with his company officer. Bystanders reported that a dog and an elderly couple might be inside the structure. The firefighter broke out a side window by the front door and unlocked the door. Heavy black smoke began to pour out of the broken window as he worked. He and his company officer entered the structure and began a search. As they searched, he advanced an uncharged 1-¾” handline and a thermal imaging camera (TIC). They located the family dog and carried it to the front door, where it was handed to other firefighters. The firefighter and his company officer reentered the structure to continue the search. They were joined by another crew. Shortly thereafter, the firefighter’s company officer was heard calling for him. The second crew scanned the area with their TIC in an attempt to find him. The rapid intervention team (RIT) was assigned and searched the structure for the missing firefighter. After approximately 10 minutes of searching by multiple crews, he was located in a small room behind a closed door. He was removed from the structure by firefighters and treated. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced dead. Investigation revealed that he had become ill and vomited into his self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepiece. When he was found, he was lying on his back without his helmet, gloves, and facepiece. His death was caused by smoke inhalation.”
On 5/22/2010 a Pine Bluff, Arkansas firefighter died from injuries he received on January 3, 2010, while working a fire. The firefighter “and the members of his fire department were dispatched to a fire in a commercial occupancy at 0445 hours. Firefighters found a working fire in an office building and initiated an interior attack. Firefighters found fire in the attic of the structure and began to evacuate the interior. Approximately 30 minutes into fighting the fire, the firefighter and another firefighter were operating a handline on the exterior of the structure when a collapse occurred. The firefighter was trapped in the debris and was removed by other firefighters using hydraulic tools. He was transported to a local hospital and was treated for crush and thermal injuries. He was transported to a regional hospital and then to a care facility.”
On 5/22/1967 the Innovation Store fire killed 325 in Brussels, Belgium. “Approximately 2,500 people were shopping in the store during their lunch hours when the fire broke out in the furniture department on the fourth floor, just after noon. However, virtually no one in the store was aware of the fire because no fire alarm went off, nor were there any sprinklers. The fire spread quickly because there were only a few handheld extinguishers available. Witnesses reported that the many flags on display helped fuel the flames. In addition, firefighters were slow to arrive because the store was located in a crowded area of the city with narrow streets.”