Akron, OH Hotel Fire, Dec 1928

WILD SCENES OF HORROR AT FIRE IN AKRON HOTEL CHRISTMAS DAY.

FIVE MEN AND ONE WOMAN PERISH IN HOLOCAUST.

Akron, Dec. 26. -- Firemen and police today were investigating the disastrous Hotel Park fire, which claimed six lives here early yesterday.
Five men and one woman, trapped in bedrooms while they slept, perished in the burning building.
They were:
CHARLES KING, 28, a cook.
ARTHUR ALEXANDER, 67, retired.
MRS. ALBERTA MILLER ALEXANDER, 55, his wife.
CLARK BURRELL, 44, a cook.
W. W. WILSON, 28, rubber worker.
LUCIAN G. CURTIS, 29, pool room employe, formerly of Indianapolis.
There were about 80 persons in the hotel at the time of the tragedy. Several persons were injured but all had been dismissed from the hospital last night.
Spontaneous combustion in a rubbish heap in the basement or at the rear of the hotel is believed to have caused the fire. Heavy billows of smoke came up a clothes chute making escape impossible by the front stairs. The rear exit was cut off by flames and there were no outside fire escapes.
By the time firemen arrived the hotel, a three-story frame stsructure of about 75 rooms, was wrapped in flames. People appeared at every window, calling for help.
"All our first efforts necessarily had to be directed to the saving of lives and for a time the flames were left unchecked," Fire Chief MERTZ said.
"Despite our efforts more lives were lost than in any other fire in the city's history."
All of the six who were killed, except CURTIS, were apparently awakened, made efforts to escape before they were overcome by smoke. MR. and MRS. ALEXANDER had thrown a mattress to the ground from a window and had knotted a sheet before they were suffocated.
Firemen worked their way through the hotel rescuing the frightened, nearly suffocated men and women. Of the seven injured, PAUL LOCKLAIR, 40, was most seriously hurt, suffering severe burns.

The Zanesville Signal Ohio 1928-12-26
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!