A MILE OF FLAMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22267, 21 May 1934, Page 7

A MILE OF FLAMES

CHICAGO AREA RAVAGED ENORMOUS PROPERTY DAMAGE (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) CHICAGO, May 19. (Received May 20, at 9 p.m.) Starting late this afternoon, fire swept the stock yards section, on the south side. It was five hours before the fire officials announced that the fire was under control. It razed an area of about a mile square. For a time it was feared that the flames would spread to other sections. The property damage is estimated at 8,000,000 dollars, making it the city's greatest fire since the conflagration of 1871, which all but destroyed the city. Oue fireman was killed by a falling wall and a dozen were injured, some seriously, while scores were overcome by smoke and heat. Every available man and piece of equipment was pressed into service. The firemen used water at the rate of 20,000,000 gallons an hour, seriously curtailing the service in other sections. Thousands of dwellers and shopkeepers evacuated the area, carrying such belongings as they could. Clouds of acrid smoke beat over the down-town business section and even into the exclusive north side residential district. The flames w»re visible for 100 miles, according to aviators. A score or more of large buildings, including several meat-packing plants, were burned to the ground. To control the fire, it was necessary to dynamite many buildings. There is no estimate of the number of animals that perished, but probably it was high as the fire started in the sheep pen and immediately spread to other buildings housing stock.