WPBFD History

The Union Congregational Church had been built on the corner of Datura Street and South Olive Avenue in 1894 and expanded in 1915. The landmark had served its congregation well, surviving several hurricanes with only minimal damage. A fire was reported in the church at 12:17 a.m. on Monday, October 18, 1954, by a Mr. Wil- liams who lived in a two story dwelling at 309 Datura Street. He was awakened by what he thought was the sound of furniture being moved in the church next door. When he finally went to investigate the noise, he discov- ered the fire which had at that time extended throughout the building. Sleepy firemen responding to the scene knew it was going to be an "all-nighter" when they observed the bright orange glow looming over the downtown area as the trucks left the station. The fire had gone unnoticed until it had broken through the metal clad roof of the wood frame structure making it impossible for much to be saved. Northeast winds gusting to thirty miles an hour fanned the flames. Sparks were flying two blocks distant threatening to ignite other buildings. Central Station units arrived at 12:20 a.m. and went to work. All available fire equipment and manpower were dispatched to the scene. By 12:30 a.m. six hose streams were pumping into the inferno with little affect. Chief Witherspoon directed operations and called in all off duty personnel to assist. Police transported men to the fire scene from the fire stations as they arrived to get their gear. More than thirty off duty firemen reported for duty. Robert Milkins, driving T-42 that night, said "it was one hot fire . . . unprotected skin would feel like it was getting scorched until you got some water between you and the fire." The fire was finally controlled about 1:00 a.m. Shortly after 3:00 a.m. the last of the hose was rolled-up. An estimated 168,000 gallons of water had been pumped on the fire by four pumpers and the aerial. Firemen were credited with preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. The cause of the fire was attributed to an electrical short in a combination radio- record player. It was a sad night for firefighter Francis T. Miller who was involved in the fire ground operations. He and his family were members of the church. Ironically, the congregation had considered building a new church and the plans were consumed in the fire. Firemen had a few chuckles over the preacher's first comment when he had arrived at the scene early in the fire. He supposedly said "Holy smoke." Officials of the Union Congregational Church ap- peared before the West Palm Beach City Commission on Monday, October 25. They read a resolution praising the firemen for the "efficient handling of a very difficult fire." On November 30, 1954, the City of West Palm Beach purchased the water company from the estate of

saying it in front of Hull and found that the older man was still a scrapper. Hull seemed to have one mission in his career - leaving the men assigned to his truck at the station when the alarm sounded. One night he left Robert Milkins and "Speedy" West, but they ran down an alley and beat the truck to the alarm on Clematis Street. That was not how "Speedy" earned his nickname, however; he was fast at the dinner table. Hull, who had equipment #4, reminisced of the big fires he had been to over the years. The Breakers Hotel on March 16, 1924, "was like a riot," said Hull. The con- flagration at 3rd Street and Rosemary Avenue in 1922 was also fresh in his memory. "We thought the whole town would go in that one. We were short of men, equip- ment and water mains." Hull also recalled the Dade Lum- ber Company fire, commenting, "That fire took place right where I'm standing now. Right here on the location of the Central Fire Station." The city was growing faster than any other time in its history. In the 1953-54 fiscal year new construction accounted for nearly 500 houses, 61 apartments, 103 commercial buildings, and 6 public buildings. The heav- ily populated south end of town grew the most with 71 percent of the new construction. Financial concerns plagued the city despite its growth. Estimates indicated the 1954-55 budget would be $100,000 short of necessary funds. One of the reasons cited was the reduction of the firemen’s workweek from 72 to 60 hours at a cost of $30,000. The West Palm Beach Fire Department had one of the lowest fire loss records in the nation. Fire losses for 1953-54 were $1.60 per capita as compared to the na- tional average of $5.40. Chief Witherspoon credited in- creased fire safety inspections and fire prevention work for the rosy figures. Department manning was at 60 fire- men. Fire Prevention Week found the department in- volved in various activities. Cynthea Green, a twenty-two year old red head, was named "Miss Flame" in a depart- ment sponsored beauty pageant. Several public demon- strations were conducted at the Howard Park training tower. City officials participated in a huge bonfire in which $500,000 worth of retired municipal bonds were burned to symbolize the improved financial condition of West Palm Beach. Churches have long been vulnerable to "large loss" fires. They are constructed with expansive, undivided areas of worship and contain large quantities of combusti- bles. Since they are often unoccupied, fire can remain undetected for long periods of time. Few churches at the time were equipped with sprinkler sys- tems or fire alarms. These facts were borne out in West Palm Beach's next major fire.

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