Firehouse Remembers the Boston Hotel Vendome Fire, the FDNY Father's Day Fire and the Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire.

As we head into Father’s Day weekend, we are all looking ahead to the barbecues, the family gatherings, the funny cards and the best, most unique gifts that dads always seem to get. Whether you are celebrating with your dad, remembering your dad, or if you happen to be a dad yourself, Father’s Day is a special day.

Father’s Day Weekend 2022 is also special for another reason This weekend marks the anniversaries of several horrific events that we will never forget.

June 17 is the 50^th anniversary of the deadliest day in the history of the Boston Fire Department. Nine members of the Boston Fire Department died in the Hotel Vendome fire.

June 17 is also the 21^st anniversary of the infamous Father’s Day Fire in Astoria, Queens, NY, which took the lives of three members of the FDNY and injured dozens more.

June 18 is the 15^th anniversary of the tragic Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine members of the Charleston, SC, Fire Department.

So, before we get ready to celebrate with families, let’s take a few minutes to remember the members of our other family that we lost.

Boston

According to a detailed description of the event on the Boston Fire Historical Society Official Website, the Hotel Vendome was built at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street in the late 1800s and maintained its popularity through the early 1900s as a facility for weddings, proms, parties and social gatherings. In the 1960s, the Vendome went into decline. In March of 1971, it was purchased with the purpose of converting it to luxury apartments with an indoor shopping mall located on the first floor and basement. On Dec. 6, the new owner received a license to renovate the building into 124 residential apartments and a shopping mall. The Café Vendome opened for business in the basement the very next day.

On June 17, 1972, several workers began a brick sandblasting project on the seventh floor. Soon after, several workers on the lower floors noticed smoke coming from the upper floors. They evacuated approximately 100 people from the café and called the fire department.

Upon arrival, District Fire Chief William Doherty, ordered a working fire which was transmitted at 2:44 p.m. hours. By 3:06, the fire had grown to a fourth alarm. Conditions in the upper floors, especially the fifth floor, made firefighting very difficult. Axe and rake duty, opening-up and ventilating operations continued in support of handlines being operated by the engine companies.

Chief Chaplain Msgr. James Keating administered the Last Rites of the Roman Catholic Church to all members upon removal.

At 5:28 p.m., without warning, the southeast corner of the building, along Dartmouth Street and the rear alley, collapsed. The collapse crushed the aerial ladder truck of Ladder 15 in the rear alley. Immediately, rescue operations began. Fire Commissioner James H. Kelly and Chief of Department George Paul were notified. The Rescue-Pumper Unit (RPU) and the Cambridge Rescue Company were special-called, and area hospitals were notified to expect trauma patients. Chief Chaplain Msgr. James Keating administered the Last Rites of the Roman Catholic Church to all members upon removal.

Nine firefighters were injured and nine more were sadly lost.

Today, we remember:

Firefighter Thomas W. Beckwith
Firefighter Joseph F. Boucher, Jr.
Fire Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll
Firefighter Charles E. Dolan
Fire Lieutenant John E. Hanbury
Firefighter John E. Jameson
Firefighter Richard B. Magee
Firefighter Paul J. Murphy
Firefighter Joseph P. Saniuk

On Tuesday, June 17, 1997, the 25th anniversary of the fire, a memorial was dedicated on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, diagonally across from the Vendome. Artist Ted Clausen and landscape architect Peter White designed the memorial.

Source: Boston Fire Historical Society

New York

The Long Island General Supply store had served the residents of Queens for almost 80 years, carrying a wide array of products, including propane tanks and other flammable liquids. On June 17, 2001, Father’s Day, the call went out for a working fire at the hardware store. Witnesses say that they heard a small explosion, followed by a much larger blast. The five-alarm fire, explosions and subsequent collapses killed three FDNY members and injured numerous others. There were nearly a dozen career-ending injuries from this incident. The fact that the fire occurred on Father’s Day was traumatic not only to the families, firefighters and fire department, but to the entire City of New York. Charities set up for the families raised several million dollars, something that was unheard of in the city before this tragedy. While this was an incredibly tragic event, it is often overshadowed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, that occurred just three months later.

On the 10^th anniversary of the Father’s Day Fire, then-Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Harvey Eisner interviewed several members who were on scene. It is a must read. Here is an excerpt from his interview with Firefighter Robert Knabbe of FDNY Rescue 3:

“Rescue 3 and the collapse unit responded to the scene as the second rescue on the signal “10-60” (major emergency). There was a lot of radio traffic on the Queens frequency. Coming over the Triborough Bridge, we could look down on the incident. There was a good fire and a lot of smoke. When we arrived, we positioned the rescue and collapse unit at the intersection. There was a lot of chaos. The building had detonated before we arrived. The exposure-2 side of the building was visible where the wall collapsed.

Photo by Cammi Shaw

“It took a few minutes to get a handle on what was going on. There was a report of a member trapped in the basement. The last contact they had was his Vibra-Alert was going off ... They were also looking for a couple more firefighters.

“You couldn’t find the stairs initially. The place was charged with smoke. There was zero visibility. There was stock all over the place. Crawling back out, you couldn’t see anything. It was so bad that as I crawled out of the building onto the sidewalk, someone grabbed my shoulder straps and said, “Hey brother, you’re out, you’re out!” It was impossible to get downstairs; the fire conditions were too heavy.

“The idea was to go into exposure 4 and breach the basement wall. We used the Stanley hydraulic system. The wall was several feet thick. There was a lot of water in the basement of the fire building. There were different-colored fires burning in that basement. I came back out front. There had been a collapse of the front parapet. They were worried about more of the building coming down. We went up the aerial ladder of 154. We slung a wire around the parapet with a griphoist and pulled it down. Eventually, I made my way to the hardware store. Getting into the middle of the floor, I located the basement stairs, which ran from the middle of the store back to the front. I radioed that I had found the stairs. At the bottom, I was in water up to my thighs. It was waist deep. There was smoke, but the fire was knocked down.

“Within five or six feet of the stairs, I found Firefighter Brian Fahey of Rescue 4. A few more guys came down. There was no sign of life. We called for a Stokes basket. The stairs were very narrow. We put a rope on the Stokes basket and packaged Firefighter Fahey. A few firefighters pulled on the rope from above and we were able to get him upstairs. We got him up to the first floor and Rescue 4 took over. They carried their brother outside and down the block to a waiting ambulance. Every firefighter in the street took off their helmet and waited in silence as Firefighter Fahey was taken home.”

Today, we remember:

Lt. John Downing
Firefighter Brian Fahey
Firefighter Harry Ford

Charleston

At 7:08 p.m. on June 18, 2007, Charleston, SC, Fire Department firefighters were dispatched to a fire at the Sofa Super Store at 1807 Savannah Highway. Here is an excerpt from Firehouse’s coverage of the event:

“While crews were on scene fighting the fire, a worker inside the building called 9-1-1 to report that he was trapped. The worker banged on a metal wall and a dispatcher relayed information to on-scene units. A firefighter opened a seam of the wall and removed the trapped worker.

“The fire extended from the warehouse located in the rear to the showroom in front. Firefighters operating inside evidently became trapped in the maze-like conditions. A "Mayday" was issued. One firefighter followed a hoseline inside and in separate attempts located two firefighters and removed them to safety. The remaining firefighters were apparently caught in a flashover.

“Before the firefighter's third attempt at rescue, the roof collapsed. At 7:30 p.m., the front facade of the showroom collapsed.”

Dr. David Griffin, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, was the operator of the first-due engine that day. On the 1oth anniversary of that event, Griffin paid tribute to the nine firefighters who were lost and to those members who were “Still Riding.”

Firehouse also covered the remembrance service on the 10 anniversary.

Today, we remember:

Engineer Bradford “Brad” Baity
Capt. Mike Benke
Firefighter Melvin Champaign
Firefighter James “Earl” Drayton
Asst. Engineer Michael French
Capt. William “Billy” Hutchinson
Engineer Mark Kelsey
Capt. Louis Mulkey
Firefighter Brandon Thompson

So, while we are celebrating our dads this weekend, let’s take a moment to raise a glass and toast the firefighters we lost in these tragic events. They will never be forgotten.