3/19/1958 3rd Alarm Manhattan Loft Building Fire 24 Killed

[mack]

 

[mack]

 

[mack]

 

[mack]

NY Times​

24 KILLED IN BROADWAY LOFT FIRE; 15 INJURED, SOME LEAP TO STREET; TRAPPED VICTIMS PANIC IN SMOKE; STOVE EXPLODES Flash Blaze Engulfs 5-Story Building -Subpoenas Slated 24 Killed and 15 Hurt in Loft Blast and Blaze on Broadway SOME ARE INJURED LEAPING TO STREET Trapped Workers Panic in Dense Smoke After Gas Textile Oven Explodes​

 

[mack]

Monarch Underwear Company fire​

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The Monarch Underwear Company fire occurred in Manhattan, New York City at 623 Broadway on March 19, 1958. Twenty-four people were killed in a loft fire, between Houston Street and Bleecker Street and fifteen more were injured. Six of the injured were hurt when they leaped from the building and missed fire nets. The conflagration began in the third floor textile printing plant of an edifice in which the workrooms of several businesses were located. Ten corpses were found underneath work benches of the Monarch Underwear Company, on the fourth floor. The fire started at 4:30 p.m. and lasted one and a half hours. It began in a processing oven of the S.T.S. Textile Company.

The building was located a few blocks from Washington Place, near Greene Street, the former locale of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. The Triangle factory fire of March 25, 1911, killed one hundred forty-five persons.

On March 20, 1958 New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. asked for legislation to prevent fires like the one at 623 Broadway. Wagner and New York City Fire Commissioner Edward F. Cavanaugh both stated that the structure did not violate fire and building codes. Wagner called on the New York City Council to enact necessary ordinances quickly. Among those he suggested were the installation of automatic fire sprinkling systems, the building of fireproof partitioning walls in lengthy rooms, the construction of full ceilings in loft buildings, and making it mandatory that each worker be given a fire drill.

 

[DaveReinstein]

On Valentine’s Day 1979, they had a huge job 1 block over that destroyed a few buildings.

 

[mack]

Fdny Engine 33 At A Valentine's Day Night Fire​

On Valentine’s Day 1979, they had a huge job 1 block over that destroyed a few buildings.

Fdny Engine 33 At A Valentine's Day Night Fire​

Firefighters (from Engine 33) battle a fire at 653 Broadway, New York, New York, February 14, 1979. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images)

 

[mack]

New York, NY 14 February 1979 - Icicles hang from the facade of 653 Broadway as firefighters attempt to control a fire that engulfed the building going back to Mercer Street. The fire burned for over a week, leaving only the shell of building.​

 

[DaveReinstein]

New York, NY 14 February 1979 - Icicles hang from the facade of 653 Broadway as firefighters attempt to control a fire that engulfed the building going back to Mercer Street. The fire burned for over a week, leaving only the shell of building.​

View attachment 17720

Bingo. I have part of this job on DVD. They don’t burn like that anymore

 

[DaveReinstein]

Fdny Engine 33 At A Valentine's Day Night Fire​

Fdny Engine 33 At A Valentine's Day Night Fire​

Firefighters (from Engine 33) battle a fire at 653 Broadway, New York, New York, February 14, 1979. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images)


View attachment 17719

One of the stories I’ve heard was the occupants of the nightclub didn’t realize there was a fire till the sprinklers went off. Let me look for the video real quick

 

[DaveReinstein]

Here is about 5 min of that Job

 

[mack]

Here is about 5 min of that Job

Wow - great personal video - from 1979.

 

[68jk09]

I was driving R*2 that night of the 1979 Fire at 653 Broadway.....it was referred to as "The Infinity Disco Fire" ....it was an old large Loft Bldg with the Infinity on the ground fl on the Broadway side.....upstairs were both residences & commercial occupancies....we were in BKLYN when the Fire first came in....over the SOD monitor we heard a Unit of ESU Truck 1 reporting sighting 2 women trapped at a window facing the Bleecker St side...John Vig was the LT , he said head for the Bridge....ESU kept reporting the women....when we got to the Bridge John called Manh & told the Dispatcher that the Women were still being reported trapped & that we were at the Bridge ....Manh assigned us....when we got there the Women were still in a window about the fourth fl about halfway back in the bldg on the Bleecker St side which was exposure 2....they were not in a position to be reached directly by an Aerial.....Vig reported to DC Radtke DV*1 & told him about the Women....Vig told Jon T. RIP & myself to take the Roof Rope to the Roof....we soon realized the problem was that they were shuffling Rigs in the street to set up TLs & no Aerials remained to the Roof at this time so we attempted to go thru an interior stair.....as we passed thru the Disco it was surreal....there were large neon phallic symbols still lit on the walls & a large amount of burning ashes falling down in an enclosed shaft....there was only a light haze in the Disco....as we searched for a way up we heard a report on the HT that LAD*5 had gotten to the Women by going up a Ladder from the Mercer St (exp 3) side & made there way thru the bldg to the Women & removed them back the same way.....in searching for a way to the Roof Jon & I got a good sense of the depth of this bldg & that it extended to the next block....now we set out to find Vig & the rest of the Company.....I called Vig on the HT & he said they were on the Fourth fl & had come up the straight run stair from Broadway....we made our way up & found them operating a Line ...Jimmy L. was by the door & was trying to pull more line from the stairway....I asked him how far they were in & he said almost a Length...I said Jim the bldg goes to the next block ! .....about that time all units were ordered out of the bldg .....it looked like it was burning more when we took up than when we got there.

 

[DaveReinstein]

I was driving R*2 that night of the 1979 Fire at 653 Broadway.....it was referred to as "The Infinity Disco Fire" ....it was an old large Loft Bldg with the Infinity on the ground fl on the Broadway side.....upstairs were both residences & commercial occupancies....we were in BKLYN when the Fire first came in....over the SOD monitor we heard a Unit of ESU Truck 1 reporting sighting 2 women trapped at a window facing the Bleecker St side...John Vig was the LT , he said head for the Bridge....ESU kept reporting the women....when we got to the Bridge John called Manh & told the Dispatcher that the Women were still being reported trapped & that we were at the Bridge ....Manh assigned us....when we got there the Women were still in a window about the fourth fl about halfway back in the bldg on the Bleecker St side which was exposure 2....they were not in a position to be reached directly by an Aerial.....Vig reported to DC Radtke DV*1 & told him about the Women....Vig told Jon T. RIP & myself to take the Roof Rope to the Roof....we soon realized the problem was that they were shuffling Rigs in the street to set up TLs & no Aerials remained to the Roof at this time so we attempted to go thru an interior stair.....as we passed thru the Disco it was surreal....there were large neon phallic symbols still lit on the walls & a large amount of burning ashes falling down in an enclosed shaft....there was only a light haze in the Disco....as we searched for a way up we heard a report on the HT that LAD*5 had gotten to the Women by going up a Ladder from the Mercer St (exp 3) side & made there way thru the bldg to the Women & removed them back the same way.....in searching for a way to the Roof Jon & I got a good sense of the depth of this bldg & that it extended to the next block....now we set out to find Vig & the rest of the Company.....I called Vig on the HT & he said they were on the Fourth fl & had come up the straight run stair from Broadway....we made our way up & found them operating a Line ...Jimmy L. was by the door & was trying to pull more line from the stairway....I asked him how far they were in & he said almost a Length...I said Jim the bldg goes to the next block ! .....about that time all units were ordered out of the bldg .....it looked like it was burning more when we took up than when we got there.

Thanks foe the Info Chief! The videos I have of the job, you can see TL18 setting up behind the building I believe on the Mercer st side having to reposition the rig a few times due to the radiant heat. The videographer and his assistant looked like they made their way to the roof of the MD on the exp 4 side and got good shots of the job. I read the litigation between the insurance company and owner and apparently the owner attempted to “Freeze out” the tenants by turning the heat off thus freezing the sprinkler system. Looked like an absolutely bitterly cold night.

 

[DaveReinstein]

I was driving R*2 that night of the 1979 Fire at 653 Broadway.....it was referred to as "The Infinity Disco Fire" ....it was an old large Loft Bldg with the Infinity on the ground fl on the Broadway side.....upstairs were both residences & commercial occupancies....we were in BKLYN when the Fire first came in....over the SOD monitor we heard a Unit of ESU Truck 1 reporting sighting 2 women trapped at a window facing the Bleecker St side...John Vig was the LT , he said head for the Bridge....ESU kept reporting the women....when we got to the Bridge John called Manh & told the Dispatcher that the Women were still being reported trapped & that we were at the Bridge ....Manh assigned us....when we got there the Women were still in a window about the fourth fl about halfway back in the bldg on the Bleecker St side which was exposure 2....they were not in a position to be reached directly by an Aerial.....Vig reported to DC Radtke DV*1 & told him about the Women....Vig told Jon T. RIP & myself to take the Roof Rope to the Roof....we soon realized the problem was that they were shuffling Rigs in the street to set up TLs & no Aerials remained to the Roof at this time so we attempted to go thru an interior stair.....as we passed thru the Disco it was surreal....there were large neon phallic symbols still lit on the walls & a large amount of burning ashes falling down in an enclosed shaft....there was only a light haze in the Disco....as we searched for a way up we heard a report on the HT that LAD*5 had gotten to the Women by going up a Ladder from the Mercer St (exp 3) side & made there way thru the bldg to the Women & removed them back the same way.....in searching for a way to the Roof Jon & I got a good sense of the depth of this bldg & that it extended to the next block....now we set out to find Vig & the rest of the Company.....I called Vig on the HT & he said they were on the Fourth fl & had come up the straight run stair from Broadway....we made our way up & found them operating a Line ...Jimmy L. was by the door & was trying to pull more line from the stairway....I asked him how far they were in & he said almost a Length...I said Jim the bldg goes to the next block ! .....about that time all units were ordered out of the bldg .....it looked like it was burning more when we took up than when we got there.

Fine v. Bellefonte Underwriters Ins. Co., 725 F.2d 179 | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Fine v. Bellefonte Underwriters Ins. Co., 725 F.2d 179, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

here is the subsequent report post fore by the insurance company