 were at least 100 feet in the air. |
The gas fed flames from the West Conshohocken homes etched orange-red streaks across Adolf Vivian's face as he stood high above the roaring inferno that once was a row of houses on Front Street in West Conshohocken.
A series of explosions, which numbered two or three according to witnesses, ripped throug the community around 9:45 PM that evening, taking the life of young fireman Joseph Powers, 19, a dedicated member of the George Clay Fire Company. |
The first people on the scene were Robert Griffith and George Pope members of George Clay. Griffith said the two men had just returned to town about 9:30 PM after making a transport call in the George Clay ambulance. They were gassing the ambulance at O'Bryan's Service Station when they saw a flash and heard the explosion. They told the attendant to forget about the gas and went right up Front Street. As the men drove up in the ambulance, they called the George Clay Fire Company, placing the first alarm. When they arrived at the scene of the explosion, they saw a man running in the street - his clothes aflame. They took the man to the hospital and on the second trip, they took six people to Montgomery Hospital.
George Brown of Fayette Street ran to his neighbor's "citizen band" radio and called out: THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, WEST CONSHOHOCKEN IS ON FIRE!
Ice was a big problem as firehoses snaked up and down the destroyed street, lying in slush, coated with ice. The area, congested with firemen and fire trucks, rescue squads and spectators, looked more like a war zone than a residential neighborhood. When the fire broke, the Matsonford bridge, connecting Fayette Street with West Conshohocken, and the on and off ramps of the Schuylkill Expressway to Conshohocken were closed. They reopened early the next day, when the situation was quieted. Front Street, now a path of rubble was closed pending a full investigation.
Temporary shelter for the homeless was setup at George Clay Fire Company, Upper Ford Street. The Red Cross also set up quarters to aid the disaster victims at the fire house. Reported dead were: Joseph Powers, 19 years of age, Calvin Rupp, 67 years of age - grandfather of Michael Pruitt, 13 years of age and his sister Michele Pruit, 7 years of age. A fifth victim was William Blair. There were a total of 16 persons admitted to area hospitals and 34 treated and discharged.
The flag was at half-mast in West Conshohocken Borough indicating the sadness covering the community in the wake of the tragic fire.
Fifteen homes were completely destroyed. The number of other dwellings damaged had not been determined, but it was close to twenty-five.
It was a hectic day for Mr. John Backus, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County. As the result of his and board's efforts, house trailers, some with three bedrooms, and others with four bedrooms, were on the way from Scranton to West Conshohocken.
As an arm of HUD, (Housing and Urban Development), Backus was able to secure the trailers which were made available to West Conshohocken residents in need of temporary housing. "It's wonderful to see what cooperation can produce. In Montgomery County, we're all united under the direction of the County Commissioners who have called upon all local organizations to help," Backus said.
After working for many hours leveling damaged homes and investigating the pipe line and repairing same, Front Street was opened to the public on Tuesday, February 9, 1971.
No one living in the Borough will ever forget that frightening night of January 27, 1971.
Mayor George D. Barr lead efforts to set up the "George Clay Fire Company Disaster Fund" to aid fire victims while the blaze probe continued.
An official George Clay Fire Company Disaster Fund Committee was organized while officials, Federal, State, County, and Local along with the Utility Company, continued investigations of the West Conshohocken apparently gas-fed fire which destroyed or damaged 26 homes, left five persons dead, about 50 persons injured, and many homeless.
Soon after the drive started, volunteers had clothing waist high, blankets , and canned food. It was such an outpouring that one must see it to believe it. The gifts being catalogued by size by women volunteers, covered the entire floor of the huge meeting hall with one-fourth as much more in the basement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1074, Conshohocken, and the basement of St. Gertrude's Church. More than $78,000 was donated as reported at a meeting on February 11th.
With endless efforts on the part of all the volunteers, and the help of every heart-felt person who contributed in their own way, it made the "Disaster Fund" a success and West Conshohocken will always be thankful. Close to $150,000 was gathered through the generosity of persons known and unknown for distribution to the victims.