Pittsburgh, PA Theatre Fire, June 1905

THEATRE IS BURNED.

FIRE TOTALLY DESTROYS AVENUE AND PARTIALLY WRECKS GRAND OPERA HOUSE.

SEVERAL PERSONS ARE INJURED.

AUDIENCE OF 1,200 WERE ENJOYING THE VAUDEVILLE PERFORMANCE AT THE GRAND, BUT WERE CONDUCTED TO SAFETY WITHOUT SEMBLANCE OF PANIC.

Pittsburg, June 3. -- Fire destroyed the Avenue theater and wrecked the main entrance of the Grand opera house. While the flames devoured the top floor of the building an audience of 1,200 persons was dismissed from the building without a panic. The loss will aggregate $110,000, with insurance of about $95,000. The fire raged violently for about tow hours and caused a blockade in Fifth avenue. Several persons were injured.
The fire broke out in the "gridiron" above the stage of the Avenue. This part of the building has been closed for some time, and the blaze had made considerable headway when it was discovered by a fireman who is detailed on special duty at the two theaters.
Intense excitement prevailed in the street from where the flames could be seen. A rush was made into the theater to warn the audience of its danger. The whole top of the building was aflame, and the audience still sat in ignorance of the danger. DURYEA and MORTIMER, a sketch team, were just closing their act and panic was threatened among the women who were in the back of the stage.
County Detective ROBERT G. ROBINSON and several other persons who had noticed the flames from the street walked quietly into the auditorium of the Grand and told the people in the rear rows to leave the building as quickly and as quietly as possible. The curtain was just ascending and the audience was keeping up a furious handclapping to tender an encore to a sketch team. Those who had been told of the fire had the presence of mind to join in the applause and the house was half empty before those in the front seats were admonished of the impending danger. Director FISHER of the orchestra kept the musicians at work until the last occupant of the parquet floor left his seat.
When the people reached the street engine bells were clanging, hose was being unreeled and firemen were invading the buildings with axes and ladders. Back of the scenes women fled pell-mell from their dressing rooms and dashed down the stairway into Diamond street. A more spectacular fire seldom is witnessed. The flames leaped across Fifth avenue and fantastic purple clouds hung above the shafts of fire. The sun was shining brightly, and when the white streams of water were brought in play from a score of glittering nozzles, rainbows of glorious hue and brilliancy arched above the doomed theater.
Late in the evening the firemen had the flames under control, the only danger being from falling walls. All the injured will recover. The performance was given in the evening at the Alvin theater.

The Courier Connellsville Pennsylvania 1905-06-03
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!