Denver Fire Chief John Healy directs search for victims
On April 20, 1928, 11 workers died in a fire at the Alexander Aircraft Company in the Denver suburb of Englewood and many others were injured.
Employee Richard Trenari, 21, said: "It was a terrible inferno."
The fire was preceded by explosions in or near the paint shop, according to an Associated Press story in Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal of Dubuque.
Barred windows trapped workers in the building where silver nitrate was applied to aircraft wings, and the floors were soaked in combustibles, according to Wikipedia.
Five corporate directors were charged with voluntary manslaughter though that was reduced to safety violations and they were fined $1,000 and handed suspended jail sentences.
By operating in Englewood, the company was able to skirt Denver's building codes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.