Firefighters from 16 companies fought for two hours to subdue the blazes consuming the plant that formerly housed the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. At times the flames reached an estimated 150 feet in height and a brisk 50 mph wind blew sparks into the firemen's eyes and damaged roof tops of surrounding businesses. The heat was so intense that workers at the Buffelen plant 100 feet away could not stand to be outside. After the fire was subdued, 3 chimneys of the original structure were all that was left standing. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

This is the aftermath of a spectacular fire that broke out on May 9, 1959, on the Tideflats at the plant for the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. The fire, the year's most spectacular, completely destroyed the plant and the equipment and materials of the eight smaller companies that occupied the building. The financial loss in the fire was estimated at $400, 000. Sixteen fire companies aided by a fireboat and off duty firemen battled the blazes, whipped up by a 50 mph southwesterly wind, to keep them from spreading to other volatile industries, such as Buffelen Woodworking, the tanks at Reichhold Chemical and the Rock Wool Co. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1-article & alternate photograph & 5/10/1959, pg 1 & alternate photograph)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firemen fight bravely to subdue the flames at the old Tacoma Sash & Door Co. plant on the Tideflats. Fire broke out at approximately 11 a.m. on May 9, 1959 and raged for over 2 hours, sending sparks flying far enough to start a brush fire on a Northeast Tacoma hillside across the Hylebos Waterway. Firemen from 16 companies responded to the blaze and Fire Chief Fisk sent out a call for all off duty firemen to respond as well. At stake were the surrounding factories and plants, Buffelen Woodworking, Acme, Reichhold Chemical, Justus Co. and Rock Wool Co. All of these companies worked with highly flammable materials, but sustained only light fire damage. Completely lost were the materials and stored inventories of the eight companies occupying the sash and door plant. Ironically, the buildings were for sale. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1; 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Smoke pours out of the top floors of Manning's Market on September 21, 1963. Several firemen are on the overhang trying to contain the massive fire and one man is midway on the 100 foot engine ladder. The $400,000 fire gutted the interior of Manning's, a longtime institution in Tacoma that contained a coffee shop, cafe, meat market, bakery and beauty salon. In addition, Mierow's Jewelry and Raff's Shoe Store on Broadway were total losses. Thrifty Drugs sustained smoke and water damage. Estimated damages for the entire fire were set at $700,000: $250,000 for the Warburton and Slayden buildings and $450,000 for contents. Altogether, 13 engine companies, four truck companies, two rescue units (one from the Midland Fire Dept.), and three chiefs were dispatched to the fire. Fifteen injuries were reported but none serious. Company owners planned to rebuild after the fire. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 136; TNT 9-22-63, A-1) TPL-9890

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

Yards of hose lay entwined on the street as firemen fight to contain the massive September 21, 1963, fire at Manning's Market, 1102 Commerce St. A 100-foot ladder is extended to the top floors of the building. 13 engine companies, four truck companies, two rescue units and three fire chiefs responded to the blaze that gutted the interior of Manning's and totaled Mierow's Jewelry and Raff's Shoe Store on Broadway. Estimated damages for the entire fire were $700,000. See D137300, Image 535, for another view of fire. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 136; TNT 9-22-63, A-1) TPL-9892

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

Firemen gather at the South 11th & Broadway side of Manning's Market on September 21, 1963, to try to put out a massive fire that ultimately gutted the building. (The Bon Marche can be seen in the background.) Flames had engulfed the open area of the coffee shop and firemen were forced to retreat. The loss was estimated at $400,000. This was a 3-11 B-Shift fire which involved 13 engine companies, four truck companies, two rescue units, and three chiefs along with the off-shift. Although there were fifteen injuries reported, apparently none were fatal. The summer of 1963 was a bad one for fires: just a few days before this massive fire, the Tradewell supermarket at 6th & Union was declared a total loss with damages of $400,000 and Pier 7 burned in July in a C Shift fire with over a million dollars in damage. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 136-37, p. 132-35; TNT 9-22-63, A-1) TPL-9891

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Eight men, all unidentified members of the Tacoma Fire Department, posed at the fire training school on July 10, 1964. They were standing in front of a hook-and-ladder. The training tower in the rear was located in the Port Industrial area. The TFD would later lend equipment and training facilities such as the tower to the Tacoma Vocational-Technical Institute for a new 18-month course to train future firemen. Photograph ordered by Cole & Weber Advertising.

Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Exterior of fire station #9. Fire Station #9 moved from its longtime location on No. Pine St. to 3502 Sixth Ave. in 1965. The modern one-story was a three bay frame designed by architects James Harris and William R. Reed. Emerging from one of the bays is the battalion chief's car; two fire engines are also side-by-side. The fire station would be dedicated on June 24, 1965. It was built with 1963 bond issue funds. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 174; TNT 6-23-65, D-2) TPL-10052

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 9 (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1960-1970;

The Spanaway/Elk Plain Fire Department practices resuscitation techniques on one of their own on November 29, 1967. One fireman is being given oxygen by his fellow firefighters at the Spanaway fire station. They were part of Pierce County Fire District #7. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Opportunity.

Fire fighters--Spanaway; Fire engines & equipment--Spanaway; Artificial respiration;

Tacoma's Alert Hose Co. No. 2 volunteer firefighting company, in uniform, were photographed on August 8, 1885 as they prepared to join the funeral parade to be held that day for former President Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant's portrait is framed in black and placed aboard the company hose wagon. He had died on July 23, 1885, and the Territorial Governor of Washington had declared that the day of his funeral would be an official day of mourning. The firehouse was located at So. 13th & A Street, which was later the location of the Tacoma Railroad & Power substation. Alert Hose Co. No. 2 was probably one of four hose companies organized between March and August, 1885. The company's hose apparatus may have been built by the volunteers themselves. Adelbert Uriah Mills, center in black beard holding bouquet, was the captain and would later become the Commissioner of Public Safety. A partial list of firefighters' names appears in a Tacoma Daily Ledger article on March 9, 1913. (Talbot: 100 Years of Fire fighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 15, TDL 3-9-1913, p. 45) KING-013, TPL 2896.