WPBFD History

An all-nighter at the Union Congregational Church fire

1955 Early on the morning of February 5, 1955, firemen were confronted with what they fear most. It was a cold night for south Florida, the kind of night when instinct told veterans there was going to be a "burner." The alarm sounded at 1:28 a.m. for a house fire at 814 Sapodilla Avenue and on arrival flames were leaping across the street. After controlling the fire the bodies of two young children, ages 5 and 3 were removed from the wreckage. Their mother, Edna Nash, suffered second degree burns on her hands, arms, shoulders, and back as she desper- ately tried to save her children before firemen arrived. The fire was caused by a malfunctioning kerosene heater. Many times firemen arrive on the scene to find that the fire has already been put out by brave souls protecting

Henry Morrison Flagler. There had been much public debate over the proposal, but ultimately the West Palm Beach Water Department assumed responsibility for pro- viding water to the city. Having control over the entire operation put the city in a better position to provide the required fire flow in all areas of the expanding municipal- ity. The condition of the old high pressure system had been a recent concern of the fire chief. Thirty years had passed since construction of the system, and salt water had taken its toll on the metal parts of the aging pumps and mains. Maintenance costs were steadily rising. The city council initiated plans to dismantle the system and fill in the cove area so that Flagler Drive could be widened. It would be nearly a decade before these changes were completed.

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