HARVEY HOTEL - 1953

Photo: gendisasters

Photo: Historic Helena

Fire belched smoke from the basement of the Harvey Hotel in Helena, Montana, on the afternoon of May 19 1953, prompting a daring rescue. 

Trapped in his room, hotel guest Mike H. McLaughlin "was brought to safety by firemen who went over the top of the Eddy bakery, across the alley on a roof" and into the hotel annex, the Independent Record newspaper reported. "McLaughlin was sticking his head out of his annex room window to get air."

The newspaper also said:

"Fire Chief Joe Munger and his men were attacking the unseen fire from both front and rear of the 83-room hotel. Munger and one crew were working forward in an underground tunnel under the one story cafe-annex which appeared to be the starting point of the fire. Other firemen were shooting water into the unoccupied cafe front.

"In the lobby of the hotel, smoke was emitting from every crack and crevice in the south wall. Light fixtures, the drinking fountain, doorways and floor edges were shrouded with thick smoke. ...
"Because of the huge volume of smoke and inability to penetrate it without masks, the firemen were fighting blind, throwing water into areas where the smoke appeared to be thickest."

Fire again struck the hotel on Feb. 26, 1967, damaging it beyond repair.