7TH STREET - 1974

Photo: Daily Sentinel

On April 9, 1974, wind-whipped flames swept the Seventh Street industrial area of Grand Junction, Colorado, destroying Mesa Feed and Farm Supply, H&M Electric and the Daily Sentinel printing plant, which was packed with rolls of newsprint.

A lumber yard also burned.

Embers drifted for blocks, setting alight the American Linen Co. on Ninth Street, according to a report in the Daily Sentinel marking the 30th anniversary of the fire.

Retired firefighter Mike Page said "red hot" pieces of tin broke loose as flames engulfed Mesa Feed while smoke reduced visibility.

``The wind was so strong it was blowing the smoke horizontal,'' Page recalled in an interview with the Daily Sentinel ``When we arrived at the scene and crossed the railroad tracks, we couldn’t see because of the smoke.''

Three firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

The fire broke out on the same site as a Nov. 3, 1898 fire that destroyed the Grand Junction Milling and Elevator Co.