11-28-1942 Coconut Grove Fire

grumpy grizzly

grumpy grizzly

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Jun 27, 2007
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On 11-28-1942 Boston Fire received and transmitted Box 1514, Stuart and Carver @ 10:15. Arriving units found an automobile fire on Stuart St. Firefighters noticed smoke coming from the Coconut Grove a short distance away. @ 10:20 Box 1521 Church and Winchester was received. Upon arriving at the Grove the second alarm was skipped, 3rd @ 10:23, 4th @ 10:24 and 5th @ 11:02.

492 people lost their lives that night. Several important medical advances resulted from this disaster. One was the first wide=spread use of a hospital blood bank, another was the use of penicillin to combat infection. The most important however was the first use of skin grafts to repair damaged areas.

And as you enter and exit buildings with revolving doors you will notice sets of OUTWARD ONLY opening doors. Many bodies were found trapped near these doors at this fire.
 
M

mack

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Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire:

November 28, 1942 - 492 perished in a downtown Boston nightclub fire.  The fire was allegedly started by a busboy who lit a match to change a light bulb.  Assigned units for Box 1521 (Church and Winchester St) were:

2220  1st Alarm    E26,E10,E22,E3                L13,L17      Dist Chief 7      Div Chief 2
2223  2nd Alarm  E35,E15,E7,E8,E43          L3,L15      Water Tower2    Dist Chief 8
2223  3rd Alarm    E39,E34,E12,E33,E32,E2 
2224  4th Alarm    E21,E16,E9,E23,E8          L12                                    Dist Chief 3
2302  5th Alarm    E37,E20,E53,E18,E50

http://bostonfirehistory.org/firestory11281942.html
http://www.celebrateboston.com/disasters/cocoanut-grove-fire.htm
http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Cocoanut_Grove_fire








 
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3511

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Dec 6, 2007
Messages
1,586
Can anyone imagine nearly 500 people perishing in a fire in a single structure (less a terrorist attack) in this day and age? Hopefully not. The Happyland incident in the Bronx and the Rhode Island nightclub, as horrible as they were, don't come close.

It is testament to the firefighting profession that it has constantly fought to improve building codes, construction methods, and their own procedures to do their job, which is to protect the public.

Certain other professions have done the same (military, medicine, and police come to mind).

A pity that other professions (we can no longer educate our children?) have failed in their mission.





 
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