Arson World: Part 7: The Walgreens Fire of 1952
I hope you have read my other Arson World stories. They detailed how downtown Gary burned in 1997. However, The Great Gary Arson of 1997, as that event is commonly known, was not the first time several downtown buildings got consumed by fire.
Some of you may have seen this photo plastered around the net. I’m paraphrasing the story of this picture, which was printed in The Times and The Chicago Tribune on February 27, 1952.
On February 27, 1952, at 6 pm, flames and smoke was seen bursting through the floor of the two-story Walgreens store at 6th & Broadway. Walgreens was full of customers at the time who desperately scrambled out of the building. Thick, black smoke bellowed forth quickly. The customers were lucky to escape relatively unharmed.
The second story of Walgreens hosted numerous professional offices, including architects, lawyers, and doctors. The second level got evacuated before flames spread there as well.
The Barnett Dress Shop, which sat adjacent to the drugstore at 611 Broadway, was also on fire. The F. W. Woolworth building at 613 Broadway, which would later become Goldblatt’s, was also damaged. Tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise got consumed by flames.
Every piece of fire apparatus in the city got brought to the scene. Thousands of people congregated in the conflagration. Police had to rig guide ropes to assist pedestrians through the neighborhood directly east of the business district.
The fire raged for 8 hours before it was tamed, but the fire reached its peak during the fourth hour. During this time, the fire reached the roof of both businesses. This occurred because firemen, who focused on reaching the heart of the fire in the Walgreens basement, could not.
Two hundred fifty firemen around the Region, including Hammond, Hobart, and U.S. Steel staff, responded. 11 were overcome by lacerations, noxious smoke, and fumes while fighting the fire. The injuries were not life-threatening. Unfortunately, the day’s politics took precedence over the narrative.
The Walgreens fire occurred less than 24 hours after The Gary Fire Department was “raked from top to bottom” with promotions and demotions that left staff very angry. A “pipeman” was promoted to lieutenant chief because he worked for the campaign of the new mayor, Peter Mandich. A “good fireman” got demoted to allow for this, allegedly.
Jealousness and political rivalries created a hostile, negative atmosphere that cumulated in this fire. Funny how that happens, huh?
Stories soon filled the city about how firefighters behaved during the event. Witnesses told the press that the hydrant nearest to the fire had a hose laying directly adjacent to it, but it was not installed.
“When we need that hydrant, we put it into service,” Fire Chief Zale said.
Other rumors detailed that firemen were aiming hoses at areas of the building that were not on fire while ignoring the primary fire. Other rumors detailed how firefighters blasted surrounding buildings with water while ignoring the central fire. Firemen were ordered to douse The Gary Hotel, across the street, with water. The Gary Hotel is now Genesis Towers.
The department did the same during an unrelated previous funeral home fire. They allegedly sprayed “over the roof” to other buildings while allowing the funeral home to burn. This is common when trying to prevent other facilities from catching fire. Others saw it as purposeful.
People accused firefighters of starting the Walgreens fire or blamed the shakeups by the government for how the fire got mishandled, allegedly. It could be political, a misunderstanding of firefighting practices, or a mixture. Who’s to say?
Total damage got estimated at $500,000. This amount is equal to $5.5 million in today’s money.
The cause of the fire got investigated, and a report was supposed to be released. If the report was ever put out, it was never made public.
Did the Gary Fire Department set this fire, or was it an accident? This would not be the last time the department would be accused of setting fires.