Strand_Theatre_fire
The Strand Theatre fire occurred in Brockton, Massachusetts on March 10, 1941. Thirteen firefighters were killed when the roof collapsed, making it the deadliest firefighter disaster in Massachusetts.[2]
| Date | March 10, 1941 |
|---|---|
| Time | Around 12:45 AM |
| Location | Strand Theatre 15 School Street Brockton, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°04′59″N 71°01′10″W |
| Cause | Undetermined |
| Deaths | 13[1] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 20[1] |
Around 11:45 pm on March 9, 1941, theater manager Frank Clements locked up the building. Around 12:45 am, members of the Shoe City Club noticed smoke coming from the building and notified its caretaker, Horace Spencer. Spencer sounded the first alarm at 12:45 am and the second was sounded five minutes later. The fire started in the basement, but around 1:20 am it spread into the balcony, which led Chief Frank F. Dickinson to order a general alarm.[3] According to investigators, the heat of the fire distorted steel trusses above the ceiling, which pushed the brick walls of the theater back and caused the roof to collapse.[1] The collapse occurred around 1:50 am while four crews were inside fighting the fire.[3] 12 firefighters were killed in the collapse and a thirteenth died in the Brockton Hospital two days later.[4] The cause of the fire was never determined. A small anthracite coal memorial built by a firefighter from Scranton, Pennsylvania was placed in Brockton City Hall. In 2008 a 10-foot bronze statue of a firefighter kneeling in grief with the names of the 13 men killed in the fire engraved on a base was placed in City Hall Plaza.[1]
- Valencia, Milton (May 11, 2008). "A statue rises in honor of Brockton firefighters killed in '41". The Boston Globe.
- Daley, Beth (December 5, 1999). "Disaster Stirs Memories of Vendome Blaze". The Boston Globe.
- "Roof Falls, 18 Firemen Buried". The Boston Daily Globe. March 10, 1941.
- "Herlihy's Death 13th From Brockton Fire". The Boston Daily Globe. March 13, 1941.