A landmark of the downtown business district, the Woolworth store, was heavily damaged by fire on the morning of Nov. 13, 1941. Merchandise stored for the Christmas rush was destroyed by fire and the water used to extinguish it.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 14, 1941:
DOWNTOWN LANDMARK GUTTED; LOSS FIXED AT $150,000 BY INSURORS
Entire Christmas Stock of Woolworth Store Destroyed; Terrific Heat Stymies Fire Department Effort to Quell Blaze
Fire gutted the Woolworth building, landmark of the downtown business district, yesterday with an estimated damage of almost $150,000.
Originating in stacks of merchandise stored in the basement against the approaching Christmas rush, the blaze apparently had been smoldering for several hours before its discovery by Jack Ross, city police patrolman, shortly before 6 a. m.
Before firemen, under the direction of Henry L. Hilles, fire chief, brought the flames under control, the blaze had wrecked the interior of the building and made its way to the roof at the rear.
Almost 1,000,000 gallons of water from 13 hose lines had been poured into the building when Hilles announced that the fire was under control at 12:30 p. m., and firemen still had many hours work before them to extinguish it completely.
Estimated Loss
Loss on the building was estimated at $50,000, and merchandise in the basement and on the business floor of the Woolworth store added to the loss another $60,000, of which $20,000 worth had been delivered only two days ago. Added to this was the damage to the offices on the second floor, which could not be calculated until it is possible to determine to what extent valuable records were destroyed.
The offices were those of the Aetna Life Insurance company, R. D. Pike, insurance adjuster; Washington National Insurance company, Victor Verity, attorney; Paul J. Celia, attorney and city judge; Fire Companies' Adjustment bureau, Hartford Insurance company, C. K. Eller, account; Lyle Adjustment company, U. S. Geological survey, Milton Cohan and Clarence V. Perrin, attorneys.
110 Persons Affected
Some 70 persons were employed by the Woolworth company, according to R. O. Black, manager, and probably will be without employment for several weeks, while the staffs of the upstairs offices totaled about 40 persons. Most of the latter, however, will resume work as soon as their offices are relocated and probably without loss of pay. Those who are laid off on account of the fire will be entitled to state unemployment compensation.
Firemen who first reached the store from Central station and entered the basement from a sidewalk entrance, were unable to locate the fire accurately because of the darkness caused by the smoke, their way impeded by the narrow aisles between the rows of shelves which were heaped to the ceiling with merchandise.
The heat generated by the smoldering fire, later estimated by Fire Chief Hilles at more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, soon drove them from the basementΒ and the opened an attack on the blaze from vents in the first floor.
Effects Frustrated
Here, again, their efforts with "cellar" nozzles were frustrated by the fact that the streams of water could not be trained upon the upper portions of stacked crates of merchandise. Soon the fire began to burn through the flooring at some points, although the flames themselves were not visible, and the combination of unbearable heat and threatened collapse of the floor drove the fire fighters to the sidewalk and rear alley.
Then began what proved to be a losing battle with the sullenly persistent blaze. Once it made its way through the flooring of the landing on the central stairway, only to retreat before the driving streams of water. Again, creeping up through the stairway partition, it was knocked down. A third time the firemen succeeded in stemming its ascent when it broke through at the top of the stairway.
It was during this part of the battle that Captain Henry Goudy, of fire station No. 4, was slightly injured when he fell on the stairway. He suffered bruises and a broken finger. Several other firemen were temporarily incapacitated by smoke during the fire, but there were no serious injuries.
Late yesterday afternoon three firemen were ordered to bed by doctors for aggravated eye inflammations and a fourth after being overcome by smoke. These were Steve Tormey, Ralph Fuentes, and Fred Can Camp, for eye inflammation. Lee Rombach was given medical treatment and put to bed after being overcome.
Unable to located the heart of the blaze, Hilles' men poured tons of water into the structure, but to no avail, for about 9:30 a. m. the flames found their way into the second story at the rear of the building. At this point the extension ladder on the aerial truck was raised to the roof, preparatory to an attack from that point, and the recently purchased deluged nozzle was made ready.
Shortly after 11 a. m., fingers of flame licked through the roof at the rear, and there was a slight explosion at the rear of the building. Soon the fire had eaten its way through the roof at several points. To the heavy streams of water from the fire department hoses were added those from two small lines on the fourth floor of the federal building, supplied from the building stand pipe.
Choking Fumes
The dense clouds of smoke that had been obscuring the downtown district were cleared somewhat at this time as the flames came into the open and the smoke billowed from the top of the building, rather than from the Congress street show windows and doors.
The federal building, however, was almost hidden by the smoke, and patrons of the postoffice and the Santa Rite hotel, across Broadway, were getting their share of the choking fumes. Congregation in the alley behind the federal building at the height of the fire delayed mail service, so that many mail trucks were stalled for almost four hours, according to Postmaster Harold Collins.
Stores Evacuated
Meanwhile, firemen continued in their fight against the flames, but turned attention, too, to the problem of protecting nearby buildings. Occupants of the adjoining stores were ordered out by police. At noon, police cleared the sidewalk across Congress street when it began to appear that the walls of the building might collapse.
The police, under Captain Roy G. Robinson, were assisted in controlling the crowds by a squad of 14 men from the Tucson air vase under the command of Lt. Ernest A. LaSalles, provost marshal. The air base command also contributed en from its fire department, under Clyde Baldwin, to augment Hilles' crew of firemen. About four of these were used in addition to the 33 city men who were on the job.
Beat Down Blaze
Shortly after noon, the fire having burst through the roof at several points, the fight was reduced to a matter of beating it down within the building, the danger to the nearby structures having subsided. It was at this time Hilles declared the blaze under control.
Weakened by the firemen and weighted down with the huge quantities of water, the second story floors collapsed under the strain. Water already had reached a depth of almost six feet in the basement.
Chief Hilles used three pumpers, with another standing by, and later, of course, put the extension ladder into action from the aerial truck, which had been parked in front of the building. The pumper from No. 2 station on North Fourth avenue was transferred to Central station to afford protection in the event of another alarm.
Ample Facilities
It was estimated that the 13 hose lines that were brought into play were pouring 150,000 gallons of water an hour into the building, and that almost 2,000,000 gallons were used from the time the first water was turned on.
Hilles reported that water pressure throughout was excellent, and that the pumping equipment on the fire trucks performed admirably all the way. Phil J. Martin Jr., city manager, said that the water supply in the city's reservoirs was at its peak, so that at no time did the fight against the fire strain the city's water facilities.
The firemen continued to turn heavy streams of water into the building for hours after the blaze was brought under control early int he afternoon before the last smoldering spark was extinguished.
As is often the case in such events, the little stories were compelling. Alongside the story of the firefighters, was another:
Fire Sidelights
One of Tucson's landmarks, in the business district, was destroyed yesterday when the present-named Woolworth building burned with an estimated loss of $150,000.
Constructed in 1893, the building formerly was known as the Central building. Present owner is the Anson Vorhees estate.
First occupant of the building was the Ancient Order of United Workmen, followed by the Wheeler and Ferry Grocery Company, and later the Arizona Southwest Bank. The two-story structure also served as a substitute federal courtroom during the judgeship of William H. sawtelle.
It was remodeled and renamed several years ago when the Woolworth five and 10-cent store enterprises leased the first floor. Office space was on the second floor.
Along with the Ivancovich building across the street, the building, with its false front, depicted an era of early Tucson. in 1918, when the grocery company was a tenant, another fire engulfed the structure. A few weeks later, the old Opera House, directly across the street, was demolished by flames.
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Although it was fairly definitely ascertained that there were no active gas services in the building, crews from the Tucson Gas, Electric Light and Power Company cut into the street and shut off the mains from the outside early in the forenoon as a precautionary measure.
Utility company crews also kept a careful eye on the power lines nearby in order to preclude accidents.
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It was a roaming holiday for photographers, professional and amateur, who scurried hither and yon throughout the day to snap the fire from every possible angle. The fire escape on the Valley Bank building was an especially popular vantage point after the fire burst through the roof.
As a matter of fact, the fire in its earlier stages didn't offer too much as a photographic spectacle, the clouds of smoke that hovered over the sidewalk at the front being about the only visible evidence of the fire other than the fire fighting equipment and firemen.
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Work downtown was almost totally suspended throughout the forenoon, as employers and employes alike stood around to observe the proceedings.
By the time Paul J. Cella Jr., in his role as attorney, had discovered that his office in the building was beyond rescue, it was much too late for him to go into his role as city police judge, and so the benighted sinners who had been netted by the police during the night had another day's stay in the jail before the, ere they could receive their meed of justice.
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Engineers from the office of the U.S. engineers' office in Los Angeles who arrived here yesterday for a flood control study found one phase of their researches closed to them.
While here, they planned to check with the U.
S. geological survey office regarding the San Pedro and Santa Cruz watershed surveys β but this office is one of those located on the Woolworth building, and so the records are not readily available at this time.
Some hope for the federal records was expressed by firemen, who said that portion of the building did not get the full brunt of fire and water, so that the documents may have been saved.
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The show windows of the store were filled with offerings for the coming Christmas. Toys, fancy wrapping paper, twine, and some 50 pounds of chocolate candies, in bulk, appeared in sharp contrast to the dark clouds of smoke that obscured the windows except when gusts of air momentarily blew it aside.
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While firemen were forced to cast the dolls and toy trains, along with trestles and track, to one side as they battered down the showcases, in an effort to find a new entrance for the streaming hoses, the window which encased the chocolate candied remained intact through the entire fire. As the fire progressed, so did the candy, to a glutinous mass.
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One youngster raised a bitter cry of protest above the hurly-burly of pumper engines and shouted order by firemen. Holding fast to mother's hand he wept at the thought of "choo-choos" disappearing on the inferno. Only when his parent repeatedly reassured him the trained were in another window, and wouldn't burn, did the youngster muffle his roars.
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Firemen were thankful that the fire didn't break out Wednesday when high winds were making havoc with dust and wearing apparel.
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Probably as upset a group as watched the fire, were the pigeons who nested under the eaves of the building. As smoke poured from the building and water fell in sheets, the pigeons wheeled and dipped around their burning domiciles, but finally gave up and in some instances alighted on the street below in the tangle of fire hoses.
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Oldtimer Jim Hughes recalled the site of the fire as a livery stable, owned by Chris Christianson back in the 80s.
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Fire hoses were brought into play from the federal building adjoining, during the height of the fire. It was the first time, officials said, the hose had been used since the federal building was completed in 1931.
Result was general leakage all along the line. The tremendous heat generated by the fire gave a coat of tan to the federal building walls. Several windows burst when the rear wall of the burning building collapsed shortly before noontime.
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Heat was so intense in the United States marshal's office that Dick Griffith, chief deputy, opened the office safe to ascertain whether valuable papers were crisping inside.
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K. E. Anderson, captain in charge of the Salvation Army here, labored all day in the rear of the burning building, aiding the firemen where smoke was thickest.
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But banner for the day's greatest labor should go, perhaps, to Dr. Frederick E. Sowerby, a dentist, in the hones building.
Through police lines, he escorted two women patients whose front dental bridges had fallen out, and without electricity or gas, made the necessary repairs, sending them on their way rejoicing.
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Mayor Henry O. Jaastad expressed his gratitude yesterday to Mayor Bercher, of Globe, who, upon learning of the fire, called Jaastad and offered Tucson its fire equipment and men, if needed.
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At day's end four lines of hose were continued in operation on the still smoldering ruins. It was believed that this precautionary action would be continued all night. Shortly after 6 p. m. Stone avenue was reopened to traffic, but traffic was barred from Congress street between Scott and Stone avenues.
