Uploaded byDave Henderson
Ketchikan Fires (Updated)
This document summarizes several fires that occurred in Ketchikan, Alaska between 1924 and 1975. It provides photos and details about major fires that destroyed buildings like the Revilla Hotel in 1924, the Canadian Steamship Prince George in 1945, the Redmen Building and Coliseum Theater in 1956, and the Main School in 1975. It also discusses the arsonist Bill Mitchell and his role in setting simultaneous fires in Ketchikan in 1961. Additionally, the document outlines the history of the Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Department from its early days in the 1900s through updates to facilities and equipment over time.
Ketchikan Fires (Updated)
- 1. The Many ‘Fires’of By Dave Henderson Updated 2/11/2023
- 2. March 28, 1924 RevillaHotel Fire (Viewed from Mission Street, looking north west)
- 3. Revilla Hotel Fire- 1924 Owned by Charles Ingersoll, and replaced by the Ingersoll Hotel in 1925
- 4. Revilla Hotel Fire– 1924 (viewed from Front St. looking east)
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- 6. 1943 – TheUSCG laundry fire destroyed Tatsuda’s 415 Stedman Street Store
- 8. August 13, 1945 Fightingthe Ketchikan Cold Storage fire on the “waterfront side.” Photographer: Sixten Johanson Donor: Inez Shewbert, Courtesy Tongass Historical Society View looking south along the waterfront, from atop a building just north of the Cold Storage facility.
- 9. Fighting the KetchikanCold Storage fire on the “street side” of the building, August 13, 1945. View looking south down Front Street from above the Tunnel and over the intersection of Grant and Water Street. KPU Bldg. Ketchikan Cold Storage
- 10. Ketchikan Cold StorageFire - 1945
- 11. September 22, 1945 Towedto and grounded in Tongass Narrows, West Channel, on Gravina Island just north of Clam Cove
- 12. Smoke billows fromthe Canadian Steamship Prince George while fighting the fire from the Ketchikan City Dock. Photo courtesy Ketchikan Fire Department September 22, 1945 CSS Prince George being towed away and beached on a Gravina beach in theTongass Narrows West Channel.
- 13. Canadian Steamship PrinceGeorge Fire - 1945 Ship towed from the dock and allowed to burn when it became clear that the fire was uncontrollable. Donor: Bert Libe, CourtesyTongass Historical Society
- 14. Canadian Steamship Fire- 1945 Beached on Gravina Island
- 15. Canadian Steamship Fire- 1945
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- 18. Tatsuda’s Grocery StoreFire – 1947 415 Stedman Street
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- 21. 21 July 30, 1952 StandardOil Company Fire
- 22. 22 Standard Oil CompanyFire July 30, 1952
- 23. Standard Oil CompanyFire - 1952
- 24. Standard Oil CompanyFire - 1952
- 25. Standard Oil CompanyFire - 1952
- 26. Standard Oil CompanyFire - 1952
- 27. Standard Oil CompanyFire July 30,1952 Aftermath of the fire:
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- 30. Presbyterian Church Fire- 1953 View from behind the Federal Bldg. looking towards Stedman St.
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- 32. April 2, 1955 Fightingthe fire in the shop area from the alley way. The shop is located behind the store in the Ingersoll Building on Mission Street.
- 33. Smith Electric Fire- 1955 View from Mission Street, looking north into the alley way located between Front and Main Streets, in the block between Mission and Dock Streets.
- 34. Smith Electric Fire- 1955 34
- 35. May 21, 1956 Viewfrom Main Street, looking up Dock Street, towards the east The end of the Peter Pan Café (Redman Bldg. Fire)
- 36. Redmen Building Fire- 1956 View from Mission Street at the intersection with Main Street, looking north
- 37. Redmen Building Fire- 1956 37 View from Mission & Main Street intersection Coliseum Theater is the gray building on the right
- 38. View from MissionSt. between Front & Main St., looking east Redmen Bldg./ColiseumTheater Fire May 21, 1956 Donor: Estate of Ralph M. Bartholomew Courtesy Ketchikan Museums 38
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- 40. 40 View from DockSt. near the intersection with Edmonds St., looking west Redmen Bldg./ColiseumTheater Fire May 21, 1956 Donor: Estate of Ralph M. Bartholomew Courtesy Ketchikan Museums
- 41. Redmen Building/ColiseumTheater Fire-1956 View from Dock St. at the Edmonds St. intersection, looking west
- 42. Redmen Building /ColiseumTheater Fire -1956 Businesses affected: Redmen Lodge, Ketchikan Meat Co., Ralph’s Liquor Store, Herb’s Sporting Goods, Bamboo Room Lounge, Thunderbird Bowling Alley, Martine’s Dress Shop, Champion Shoe Store, Coon Bros. Portrait Studio, Coliseum Barber Shop, Ann’s Beauty Shop, Coliseum Theater,., Peter Pan Café.
- 43. Redmen Building/ColiseumTheater Fire-1956 View from Mission Street, looking northwest over the top of the Music Store Building
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- 45. Redmen Building /ColiseumTheater Fire -1956 Photo taken from the roof of the Downtown Commercial Bldg. (M&M Bank) at the corner of Dock and Main Streets.
- 46. Redmen Building/ColiseumTheater Fire-1956 Cleanup after the fire
- 47. January 1, 1958 Firegutted the entire block on the southwest side of Front St. from Dock to Mission Sts., wiping out a dozen business in the Ryus and Ferris buildings.
- 48. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958 IrelandTransfer on Heckman Wharf on fire Donor: Estate of Ralph M. Bartholomew Courtesy Ketchikan Museums 48
- 49. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958 View before the fire, as seen from Front Street just north of Dock Street, looking south towards the West Coast Grocery Building on Mill Street View during the fire, as seen from Front Street looking south towards the Dock Street intersection, the Ryus Drugstore and the Sourdough Bar
- 50. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958 View from Front Street at the intersection with Mission Street looking towards the northwest. The city wharf is to the left.
- 51. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire – 1958 View in the middle of Front Street, between Mission and Dock Streets.
- 52. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958
- 53. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958
- 54. Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958
- 55. 55 Heckman Wharf/Front St.Fire - 1958
- 56. January 12 &26, 1960 No Photo Currently Available On the 12th the Fire Dept. was able to put out the fire with minimum damage. 13-days later broke out again and destroyed the building and it neighbors. Businesses affected: Pools Shoe Store, Wells Book Store & part of Ketchikan Cold Storage.
- 57. May 10, 1960 Viewfrom the intersection of Front and Mission Streets
- 58. Marine Hotel Fire- 1960 View from Mission Street between Main & Front Streets, looking towards the southwest. The fire truck is in front of the building housing Howards Café, the Alaska Bar and the State Apartments.
- 59. January 25, 1961 Thisfire destroyed the Ketchikan Mortuary on Main St. and part of the 108 Bar next door, as well as a part of the Bon Marche building behind it. No Photo Currently Available
- 60. July 4, 1961 Viewfrom Bawden & Dock Street intersection, looking towards the southeast.
- 61. Federal Apartments Fire– July 4, 1961 View looking northwest on Mission Street
- 62. Federal Apartments Fire– July 4, 1961 View looking west from a building on Barney Way
- 63. Federal Apartment BuildingFire - 1961 View looking south down Bawden Street, looking towards Dock & Mission Streets
- 64. Federal Apartment BuildingFire - 1961 View from Dock St., looking towards Bawden St. and Barney Way
- 65. Federal Apartment BuildingFire - 1961 Close-up view of fire, from Dock St. looking towards Bawden St.
- 66. Federal Apartments Fire July4, 1961 @ 3:24 p.m. Arsonist strikes again - with simultaneous fires set at: TongassTrading Co. UpstairsApartments @ 3:20 p.m. Stedman Hotel Above Downtown Drug @ 4:40 p.m. 66 and
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- 69. April 10, 1965 NewEngland Fish Co, viewed from Tongass Narrows
- 70. New England FishCompany Cannery Fire - 1965
- 71. New England FishCompany Cannery Fire - 1965
- 72. New England FishCompany Cannery Fire - 1965
- 73. New England FishCompany Cannery Fire - 1965
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- 77. ?? ??, 1975 ~No Photos Currently Available ~
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- 79. Main School Fire- 1975 View from above Dock St. looking over 1st National Bank, Main St. & the Redman Hall. 1st National Bank Redman Hall Elks Fire Station
- 80. 80 Main School Fire– 1975
- 81. Main School Fire– 1975
- 82. Fire Lt. BillyMitchell A MAN WHO CHANGED THE FACE OF A CITY: The Firebug Bill Mitchell By June Allen
- 83. William (Bill) Mitchell BillMitchell's K.V.F.D. portrait, 1960 Donor: Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Department Courtesy Ketchikan Museums Bill Mitchell's F.B.I. Mug Shots, July 4, 1961 Donor: Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Department Photo Courtesy Ketchikan Museums 83
- 85. KetchikanVolunteer Fire Department,circa 1905
- 86. KVFD “Fire Drill”– Front & Market (Mission) St., Ketchikan, Alaska - 1913
- 88. Main Street, betweenMill & Mission Streets Ketchikan Volunteer Fire Dept., Circa 1920’s
- 89. KetchikanVolunteer Fire Department,circa 1932 Main Street, between Mill & Mission Streets Photo courtesy of Art Bryant
- 90. Ketchikan Volunteer FireDept., New Station, Late 1930’s Main Street, between Dock and Grant Streets
- 91. Water Street, lookingnorth (City Float is on the left)
- 94. KFD Main Station~ 1940’s
- 96. West End FireStation ~ 1958 Tongass Avenue at Austin Street
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- 98. The Ambulance atthe west end fire station (Station #2)
- 99. Ketchikan Firemen, PracticeDrill, Early 1960’s
- 100. Ketchikan Volunteer FireDepartment Station #1 – Through the years KVFD Cook Book
- 101. The first KVFDFire Boat
- 103. The second KVFDFire Boat: MV H.B. Newell
- 104. The third KFDFire Boat MV Harry Newell
- 105. The NEW KetchikanFire Station No. 1 March 2012 105
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