8 Alarm Blaze Destroys Standard Box Company
On June 6, 1997 at 6:10 A.M. Kenneth Rice, a worker at the Standard Box Company at 28 Gerrish Avenue, spotted flames shooting from the wax machine, a machine designed to heat up automatically. Rice immediately called 911. When firefighters arrived, Rice accompanied them into the building to show them the location of the fire, which then was only a small blaze.In a matter of minutes the fire changed course and intensified and Rice had to climb out of the building down a ladder. Two firefighters, Lieutenant Michael Connors and Albert Peters brought hoses to the fourth floor in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, but when the smoke caused complete blackout conditions inside the building, they attempted to follow their hose lines back to safety. The hoses were wrapped around machinery, confusing their efforts to follow the lines back to safety and their air supply tanks on their backs were rapidly dwindling. When the two firefighters saw a conveyor shaft that dropped approximately fifteen feet to the floor below where there was fresh air and no sign of fire, they decided to jump to safety. Although the plunge down the shaft saved their lives, both men were injured and had to be transported to the Massachusett General Hospital in Boston. Connors was suffering from a compression fracture to his vertebrae and Peters suffered multiple traumas as a result of the fall. He was treated and released.
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Firefighters continued to bring hoses into the building to fight the fire. For awhile it seemed they were making progress in extinguishing the blaze, but it was soon reported that oils in the building were feeding the fire. At 8:34 A.M. a fifth alarm was called and firefighters vacated the building and switched their attack on the fire to the outside of the building. One of the major problems they experienced fighting the fire from the outside of the building stemmed from the fact that the roof of the building was difficult to ventilate and a lot |
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Deputy Chief Joseph VonHandorf and Chief Louis Addonizio direct efforts as the wall of the Standard Box Company explodes behind them. |
of the windows were boarded up which allowed heat in the building to intensify. The fire continued to worsen and the building was in danger of collapse. At this point, all equipment was moved away from the building, forcing firefighters to shut down lines in order to relocate the equipment. About 60 minutes later, the roof and walls gave way, crashing into nearby Boston Edison lines. Firefighters continued to battle the blaze, keeping watch for flying embers which landed as far away as Bellingham Square. At 9:38 A.M. a seventh alarm was sounded and firefighters began to call for more help to get additional water on the fire. The eighth alarm was sounded at 9:41 A.M. and reserve forces were called in to make sure the fire embers did not ignite surrounding buildings.
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Firefighters pour water on the fire |
Standard Box Company consumed by the flames |
The fire was not completely extinguished until 3:45 P.M. on Sunday, two days later. The damage was estimated at $8 million with additional damage to the Burstein Recycling office building which abuts the building and smoke damage to the Janus Welding Corporation. A number of Firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries at the scene. Firefighter Edward Bermundez suffered severe carbon monoxide poisoning and was placed in a hyperbaric chamber at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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Debris explodes from Standard Box Company as the wall of the factory collapses. |
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