On Saturday, January 12, 1963, at 8:27pm, the Fire Alarm Room received signals from Box 146 at 23rd & Berks St. The area had been experiencing many false alarms from its fire boxes, it was decided to dispatch the box as a “Special Assignment” sending only Engine 27, Ladder 14 and Battalion 3. Upon arriving, Battalion 3 James Skala, was directed to the basement of the 4-story St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School on the northeast corner of 23rd & Montgomery Ave. He found fire in the ceiling likely spreading upwards, and requested the full box be transmitted at 8:29pm. Battalion 6, who had responded on the full box, was on the 3rd floor and saw smoke coming from the walls, he ordered the 2nd alarm. The companies attempted an interior attack. But not being successful, Chief Hink who had arrived and taken command ordered all men out and changed to an exterior attack pulling 4 more alarms.
About an hour after the initial alarm, the blaze seemed to be lessening, when suddenly an explosion collapsed the 23rd St. wall crushing Ladder 14’s and Ladder 18’s apparatus parked on the west side of the street. It also started fires in 5 row houses across the street. The 7th alarm was requested including a special call for 4 more ladder companies at 9:24pm.
Tragically, 2 firefighters, John McKernan of Ladder 14 and Charles Senior of Engine 20 were killed in the collapse. A captain and 7 firefighters were also injured.
The photo shows the fire after the collapse and was taken from 23rd Street south of Montgomery looking north. Rescue 1 in the lower left corner.
It is noteworthy that the fire occurred 12 days after the 12-alarm Fretz Building fire at 10th & Diamond.
I was a student at St. E’s when this fire occurred. Half way through 5th grade. I ended up attending Our Mother Of Sorrows in West Philly until my 8th grade. We were the 1st class to graduate from the new St. E’s June, 1965. I have some fond memories of the old & new school. Kudos to the firemen who fought this battle & prayers for those who lost their lives
I attended Saint Elizabeth in 1960s when that fire broke out. I lived on the 2400 block of Harlan Street. I saw that fire up close with either my mom or dad and I also after the fire burn attended our mother of sorrows. I remember when the school burned down the only room that was not touched at that time that I believe with the room with the religious articles in it, everything else had burned down. I was looking.
The injured Captain in this story was Captain Bill Webb, my wife’s grandfather. After the explosion, they took the injured firemen to the hospital, The doctors initially thought Bill was dead and placed him on a gurney with a toe tag. His wife Alice arrived at the hospital and found Bill. She put her ear to his chest and shouted out, “This man is not dead”. Bill spent seven months recovering from his injuries. He was transferred to Fire Headquarters on August 19, 1963, and retired from the Philadelphia Fire Department on October 15, 1963, after 21 years of service.
My Father was the Captai, Willian J Webb, mentioned in the story. He suffered 3 crushed vertebra and later a heart attack in the hospital that day. He was acting Battalian Chief when he was injured. He remained disabled and was retired from the Departmnet about 3 years later. He suffered for the rest of his life. As s result of his heroism that day his 3 son became eligible for Hero scholarships awarded bu the Police and Fireman Association.