A single vehicle accident occurred around 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 1976, along Route 25, two miles east of Gratz. Alvin Williard, age 64, suffered a heart attack while driving his car west in Lykens Township. The car went out of control, traveled 250 feet off the north side of the road, and landed on its roof in a field.
A chimney fire occurred in the home of Miss Erma Kelly in Wiconisco on the morning of Wednesday, February 25, 1948. The Wiconisco fire company responded and used chemicals to extinguish the fire.
On February 25, 1987, a fire broke out in the La Posada Hotel in McAllen, Texas, caused by someone smoking in bed. The successful operation of a smoke detector, allowed around 160 occupants to be evacuated with only one serious injury. Heavy smoke was sent throughout most of the hotel. The fire caused approximately $150,000 in damages.
On February 25, 1986, Egyptian Military Police, who were upset over extended tours of duty, entered four luxury hotels near the Pyramids, set fires, and looted. Hotel guests were terrorized.
On February 25, 1984, a huge explosion destroyed Vila Soco, a shantytown in Cubatao, 30 miles southeast of S?o Paulo, Brazil. Around 9,000 people had set up makeshift homes there, on land that was owned by Petr?leo Brasileiro, the state-run oil monopoly. Workers at the oil company accidentally opened the wrong pipeline, which ran next to the shantytown, on February 24th and spilled highly combustible octane gas into the ditches around the town. Shortly after midnight, an explosion occurred, and a fireball ripped through the slums. Some homes were thrown hundreds of feet into the air, while others were instantly incinerated. The temperature at the heart of the fireball was estimated at 1,800?F. Only 86 bodies were recovered from the debris. Of those, none of them were from children younger than age seven. But, an investigation discovered that there were 300 children from three to six years of age registered at a local school. Of those, only 60 were known to be alive. Since whole families were killed, there was no one left to report that the children were missing. It is believed that more than 500 people were killed in the tragedy.
1969
Jan Zaj?c Self-Immolation - Prague, Czechoslovakia
On February 25, 1969, the twenty-first anniversary of the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, Jan Zaj?c, a Czech student, traveled to Prague to warn the public against the forthcoming political "normalization" of the country. Around 1:30 in the afternoon he walked into the passageway of the building at No. 39 on Wenceslas Square and ignited his chemical-soaked clothes. He was unable to run out of the door, and collapsed and died in the hallway.
Fire broke out at 3:30 a.m. on February 25, 1905, in the Grand Central Hotel, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then, in five hours the fire spread and burned over an area of one square mile in the southern portion of the city. Block after block of residences, business houses, hotels, and other buildings was swept away, and the entire town was panic stricken. Street car wires and telegraph and telephone poles were destroyed. The fire-swept area included every house on Chapel Street, all of Market Street from Central Avenue west, Orange Street to Grand Avenue, and a portion of Oak Street. Among the buildings destroyed were the Grand Central Hotel, the Lee House, Moody Hotel, Plateau Hotel, Columbia Hotel, the County Court House, the jail, the First Methodist Church, the Jewish Church, and a large number of residences and stores, estimated to number from 200 to 250. The residences of Mayor George Belding and Sheriff Williams were among those burned. The cause of the fire is not known. All the guests in the Grand Central Hotel had gone to sleep and only the night clerk and watchman were on duty when the flames were discovered. A strong wind was blowing, and before the fire department could reach the scene, the flames spread to adjoining buildings. A general alarm was sounded, and every engine in the city responded. To add to the difficulties, the water pressure gave out at 5 o'clock. Bucket brigades were then formed, citizens and visitors alike volunteering their services. The flames swept along Central Avenue southward, roaring through building after building with such rapidity that many of the occupants barely escaped with their lives. On the west side of Central Avenue, a strip of woods, covering about ten acres, stopped the progress of the fire in that direction. After the fire had gained full headway, the streets became choked with people. Hundreds of those who had been driven from their houses were running frantically about looking for a place of safety, some carrying clothing, valises, and other property. Mayor Belding took personal charge of the fire and police forces and directed their efforts. With the assistance of Sheriff Williams, patrols were established and the crowds kept back to the danger lines. At 9 o'clock the fire had practically burned itself out, and the search of the ruins was begun. It was estimated that 20,000 visitors had recently arrived in Hot Springs. Three charred bodies were found among the ruins, and several people were reported missing. Losses were estimated at from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000.
A large cow barn belonging to G.H. Bell, along with 50 head of cattle and horses, farm impliments, and 125 tons of hay was destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. All of the livestock perished.
1880
Parliament Building Fire - Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
The Parliament buildings in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, caught fire on February 25, 1880. The fire started at 10.30 p.m. in the Legislative Library, situated in the "L", and quickly spread to the Legislative Council Chamber. The first people on the scene were the members of the Government, who were in session in the Council Chamber in the next building. It was a half hour before the fire engines arrived, but the fire was checked somewhat by snow being thrown on it. In the meantime, people broke open the windows of the library and its valuable books were carried to safety. When the steamers arrived, the roof inside the building was in flames. The Supreme Court room was also in the building, and most of the furnishings of the Judges' chambers were destroyed. When the fire was extinguished between 2 and 3 o'clock the next morning, the "L" had been burned down, and the main building, in which was the House of Assembly, had been seriously damaged. The building was an old, unpretentious, two-story wooden structure. The fire seemed to have originated in a partition which separated the inner room of the Legislative Library from the members' room. It probably caught fire from a stove. There was a theory of arson, which had credence because of the fact that there was arguments over the erection of new Legislative buildings and destruction of the old ones - thought that it would render the building of a new structure inevitable.
The section of calls we've responded to has been compiled from fire company records, newspapers, and other sources. Listings for years prior to 1981 might be incomplete.
2.
The listing of local incidents is for incidents that happened around our local area, including some from Lykens for which the fire company was not dispatched. It is certainly not a complete listing, and is not intended to be. It is included here for your entertainment. Incidents listed here have been gathered from public sources.
3.
The listing of other noteworthy incidents includes incidents from anywhere outside our local area (for which we were not dispatched). Also included in this section are historical events from our fire company, Lykens, or around the world. It is certainly not a complete listing, and is not intended to be. It is included here for your entertainment. Incidents and events listed here have been gathered from public sources.
4.
These lists can be filtered. Use the control section above to activate or de-activate filtering. Filtering will not affect the list of incidents we've responded to. But, it will be applied to both the other lists.
