It took two boys to bring down the hulking, 90,000-square-feet former Pacfic Fruit Express ice house at 800 E. 12th St., on April 7, 1970.

Using paper, cardboard and wood, they started a small fire inside the vacant warehouse, investigators said. It quickly spread. They couldn't stop the flames and they bolted from the building.

Tucson firefighters arrived around 5:20 p.m. to find smoke billowing from the north side of the building. A short investigation found it to be well-involved in fire. A ladder crew cut one hole in the massive roof in an attempt to vent smoke but they quickly retreated due to imminent collapse.

The fire became defensive, as it was too dangerous to fight from inside. Flames tore through the massive wood beams, wood platforms and insulated walls. Firefighters were hampered by the delay in detecting fire, the building's design and construction and a stubborn 20 mph wind that pushed the flames. It was a spectacle for hundreds of onlookers.

After 45 minutes of dumping water, the pressure dropped and Tucson Water had to open a huge water valve under the street to divert water from one city sector to another to fight the fire. It took 1,460,000 gallons of water surging through more than 11,000-feet of hose line to quell the flames. The fire was declared under control after a couple hours, but firefighters continued to pour water on it well into the night.

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