On 5/26/2020 a “tenacious fire fueled by an estimated 1,000 plastic crates containing tomato products burned for at least seven hours in east Stockton, California, growing to five alarms as it sent a massive black plume of smoke into the clear morning air visible for miles in all directions. No structures were involved, and no injuries were reported at the Mizkan America tomato-processing plant known for its Ragu and Bertolli pasta sauces near the southwest corner of Waterloo Road and D Street. One firefighter was transported to an area hospital suffering from heat exhaustion. Several factors hampered their ability to quickly put out the blaze and that allowed it to spread to the plastic tomato crates in the middle of the pallet yard.
On 5/26/1828 a Manhattan, New York firefighter died in a building collapse during a fire. “In just a few minutes, an arson fire, which had been set in a livery stable, had spread to six or seven frame dwellings. Despite the valiant efforts of firefighters to stop the further spread of the flames, the fire then spread to a theater through the wooden cornice. The building rapidly became fully involved, resulting in the collapse of the roof and walls shortly after. As a wall and the cornice fell to the street, the firefighter was caught under it and was crushed to death. It was weeks before his mangled body was dug out of the rubble.”
On 5/26/1836 a Manhattan, New York firefighter was killed while operating at a fire.
On 5/26/1930 a District of Columbia (Washington DC) firefighter died “while trying to locate the seat of a fire at the Stein’s Store Fixture Factory at #120 Q Street N.E. He was blinded by the dense smoke and fell down an open elevator shaft. He suffered a severe skull fracture and was killed.”
On 5/26/1936 “while operating at a 20,000-acre forest fire that swept through the Pine Barrens in two New Jersey counties, five firefighters were killed, and six others seriously burned, when a wall of fire swept over their position. The six men that were injured were also CCC men and were all hospitalized with serious burns.” “Amid the Great Depression, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration secured the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the spring of 1933. The program was intended to put unemployed men to work undertaking conservation work, including the restoration and recreational development of federal and state public lands.”
On 5/26/1957 a Tampa, Florida firefighter “died while trying to save two teenage boys that were trapped by the opening of the flood gates at the Hillsborough River dam. The boat with two firefighters flipped throwing both men into the water. Both men went under the water, returning to the top, but both went under again. One firefighter never resurfaced the second time.”
On 5/26/1958 two Highland Park, New Jersey firefighters died when more than 100 firefighters “responded to a fire that erupted at Ten Broeck Motors Inc., 209-211 Woodbridge Avenue, a few minutes after midnight. Armed with a fire hose, the two men ascended to the roof and fought the flames from above. Before the firefighters could control the massive blaze, the roof caved in and eventually collapsed. The two firefighters plummeted into the burning structure, falling onto fiery debris and broken glass.”
On 5/26/1971 a West Haven, Connecticut firefighter “died from the injuries he sustained in a rappelling accident.”
On 5/26/1971 a Calgary, Alberta, Canada firefighter died “while aggressively attacking a fire in Suite #12, 2nd-floor rear of the McTavish Block, 815 Macleod Trail SE. After making a rescue of an occupant, the firefighter indicated he was having difficulties and while attempting to leave the fire area, collapsed. He was removed from the street and given resuscitation. The ambulance in attendance took him to the Calgary General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at midnight.”
On 5/26/1982 an Ashville, North Carolina firefighter died of traumatic injuries after being trapped
On 5/26/1897 a farmer in Hermantown, Minnesota, seven miles from Duluth, was thawing dynamite, used to clear his land, over a fire when it exploded killing him and his two young sons and injuring his wife and another small son.
On 5/26/1954 the USS Bennington fire killed 103 off the Rhode Island coast.
On 5/26/1985 explosions destroyed two tankers off the coast of Gibraltar, and 30 died.
On 5/26/1945 the United States started to drop firebombs on Tokyo