Tuesday, July 15, 1930, Vol. 87, No. 25129 The Globe (Toronto) Page 1, col. 3

Mishaps balk firefighters as Simcoe station burnt

First, engines rush to wrong site—Main hose springs leak and wall caves in on apparatus—Residents have to move heavy tank car

Cause of flames blamed on sparks

Special Despatch to The Globe.

Simcoe, July 14.—Fired believed to have originated from sparks from a passing freight train ignited the roof of the Canadian National Railways station here today and completely gutted the building.

An alarm was turned in at the firehall at 6 o'clock and the brigade proceeded to the Lake Erie & Northern station, at the extreme east of the town. A search failed to reveal any blaze and at length some one discovered the fire was at the Air Line station, about a mile and half distant.

Arriving there, two hose lines were connected, but for some reason there was little water available for about 15 minutes, and in the meanwhile the blaze had made much headway in a high wind.

A series of mishaps further handicapped the local firefighters, when one of the main hose lines sprang a leak. After it was repaired the south wall caved in and the blazing fragments fell on top of both hose, necessitating a cessation in activities until the peril of the hose burning was removed.

Another difficulty occurred when a full tank car of gasoline was discovered on a siding about 50 feet from the blazing building. No engine was available, and 100 residents were forced to put their shoulders to the heavy car to move it to a place of safety. The blaze also endangered a great number of storage tanks owned by the Canadian and Sun Oil Companies, which are situated less than 100 yards from the tracks.

The building was destroyed in less than an hour. It was used jointly by the Canadian National and Wabash Railway Companies and was of frame construction. It had served the travelling public of Simcoe for the past 20 years.

Railways: C.N.Rys., Wab.Rd.

Stations: Simcoe

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