A Close Call in the Cleaning Room
A gasoline explosion at a Kennewick dry-cleaning shop reminds residents of the dangers lurking in their businesses.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It was Friday the 13th and the wind was blowing a gale when fire, originating from a gasoline explosion, broke out in the rear of the building on Second Street occupied by the Pantorium and Fairchild and Martin’s barber shop. H. E. Holloway, proprietor of the Pantorium, was in grave danger of being suffocated by gas fumes but escaped without injury. The fire started during the noon hour in the cleaning room while Mr. Holloway was preparing to put some clothes in a gasoline tank. Other suits were hanging about the room, and the air was surcharged with gas. Holloway believes he must have stepped on a match head; suddenly, there was an explosion and flames shot from the floor to the ceiling. Before he could rush from the room, a second explosion occurred, sending the gasoline tank hitting the ceiling. Quick work by the fire department prevented a clean sweep of the row of frame structures. Fairchild and Martin have moved their shop to the Stock building.
“The air was surcharged with gas. Mr. Holloway believes he must have stepped on a match head; suddenly, there was an explosion and flames shot from the floor to the ceiling.”
Dry cleaning with volatile solvents like gasoline was a common, hazardous practice in the early 20th century. While modern regulations and chemical advances have made the industry safer, the tension between small business utility and municipal fire safety remains a constant in urban planning.
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