Richmond, VA Furniture Store Fire, Mar 1921

Five Men Killed In Richmond Fire

Eleven Hurt and More Missing When Flames Destroyed Two Stores in Virginia Capital

Special to The New York Times.

Richmond, Va., March 13. – Four firemen and an unidentified citizen are known to have been killed, eleven persons were injured and more are missing in a fire early this afternoon which destroyed the furniture stored of Charles Jurgens & Sons and the Hopkins Furniture Company, at 25 and 27 West Broad Street. The property loss is estimated at more than $500,000.

The known dead are Grover C. RICHARDSON, G. R. GUTHRIE, Ben GARRISON and Fred JOHNSON, all firemen of Truck Company I, and an unidentified civilian.

The fire started in the top floor of the Jurgens store and in a few minutes spread to the floor beneath. By the time the firemen arrived the two floors were a seething mass of flames, eating downward rapidly. It was only after four hours of fierce fighting that the flames were brought under control.

One company of firemen were standing on the roof of the Hopkins store manning a hose which was playing on the roof of the Jurgens store, which was higher, when the dividing wall fell in, causing a “back draught” which caused the collapse of the Hopkins store, and all of the firemen on the roof plunged down four floors to the ground.

The New York Times, New York, NY 14 Mar 1921

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Transcribed by Lori Hedges. Thank you, Lori!