Midnight Blaze Levels Kennewick Meat Market
A stubborn fire likely sparked by faulty wiring or equipment ruins the local butcher shop, leaving the owner to contemplate rebuilding.
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.
Fire which broke out shortly after midnight Monday almost totally destroyed the building and fixtures of the Kennewick Meat Market. It is not known how the fire originated, but it probably started from a hot box in the refrigerating plant or from short-circuited wires. The fire had gained considerable headway before it was discovered and the alarm given. With three lines of hose in commission, the fire boys battled for hours and it was not until seven o'clock in the morning that the flames were entirely subdued. The boys were greatly handicapped by the numerous partitions in the building and the double walls which made it nearly impossible to get at the flames. Although the building was left standing, the damage is so great that it will not be possible to repair it under the provisions of the fire ordinance. Fortunately, there was no wind, and there was no difficulty in keeping the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. The Kennewick Transfer Company's brick building suffered slight damage from water. The meat market building is owned by Wm. Dircksen and the fixtures by Frank Spofford. Mr. Spofford has temporarily opened up a market in the Hanson building at Second and Yakima street.
“Time after time the flames appeared to be under control only to break out again in some new place in the interior of the building.”
Fires in early 20th-century wooden structures were a constant menace in growing towns like Kennewick, often leading to stricter building codes that ultimately transformed downtown architecture. Today, the intersection of Second and Yakima remains a central point in the city's historic core, reflecting the resilience of local businesses in the face of sudden disasters.
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