Narrow Escape in Kent
Neighbors acted quickly to rescue a mother and daughter trapped by a late-night fire.
Only the timely arrival of neighbors late Saturday night saved the lives of Mrs. J. Booh, a widow, and her 5-year-old daughter, when their house, three miles north of Kent, was destroyed by fire. The neighbors found Mrs. Booh and her child screaming on the upper floor of the two-story house, and took them down through the smoke with a ladder. The house was valued at $3,000.
“The neighbors found Mrs. Booh and her child screaming on the upper floor of the two-story house, and took them down through the smoke with a ladder.”
Rural fire response in 1909 relied entirely on neighbors, as professional fire departments were centralized in cities, a stark contrast to modern regional fire districts.
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