The Hotel Vendome fire was the worst firefighting tragedy

Tragedy (event)

A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....

 in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 history. Nine firefighters were killed when part of the building collapsed, June 17, 1972. The Hotel Vendome is on the southwest corner of the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue

Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Commonwealth Avenue is a major street in the cities of Boston and Newton, Massachusetts. It begins at the western edge of the Public Garden, and continues west through the neighborhoods of the Back Bay, Kenmore Square, Allston, Brighton and Chestnut Hill...

 and Dartmouth Street, in the Back Bay

Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts

Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts famous for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes, which are considered one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States, as well as numerous architecturally significant individual...

 area of Boston.

Background

Built in 1871 and massively expanded in 1881, the Vendome was a luxury hotel located in Boston's Back Bay

Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts

Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts famous for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes, which are considered one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States, as well as numerous architecturally significant individual...

, just north of Copley Square

Copley Square

Copley Square is a public square located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, named for the donor of the land on which it was developed. The square is named for John Singleton Copley, a famous portrait painter of the late 18th century and native of Boston. A bronze statue of...

.

During the 1960s, the Vendome suffered four small fires. In 1971, the year of the original building's centennial, the Vendome was purchased. The new owners opened a restaurant called Cafe Vendome on the first floor, and began renovating the remaining hotel into condominiums and a shopping mall.

Fire and collapse

The building was largely empty the afternoon of Saturday June 17, 1972, save for a few people performing renovations. One of the workers discovered that a fire had begun in an enclosed space between the third and fourth floors, and at 2:35pm rang Box 1571. A working fire was called in at 2:44, and subsequent alarms were rung at 2:46, 3:02, and 3:06. A total of 16 engine companies, 5 ladder companies, 2 aerial towers, and a heavy rescue company responded.

The fire was brought largely under control by 4:30pm. Several crews, including Boston Fire Department

Boston Fire Department

The Boston Fire Department provides fire protection services for Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In addition to fire protection, the Boston Fire department also provides basic emergency medical services and respond to a variety of emergencies such as, but not limited to, motor vehicle accidents,...

 Ladder 13 and Engines 22 and 32, remained on scene performing overhaul and cleanup. At 5:28pm, abruptly and without warning, all five floors of a 40 by 45 foot section at the southeast corner of the building collapsed, burying a ladder truck and 17 firefighters beneath a two-story pile of debris.

Occurring one day prior to the Father's Day

Father's Day

Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...

 holiday, eight firemen were injured, and nine lost their lives in the worst firefighting disaster in Boston history. The men who were killed were:

• Fire Fighter Thomas W. Beckwith
• Fire Fighter Joseph E. Boucher
• Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll
• Fire Fighter Charles E. Dolan
• Lieutenant John E. Hanbury, Jr.
• Fire Fighter John E. Jameson
• Fire Fighter Richard B. Magee
• Fire Fighter Paul J. Murphy
• Fire Fighter Joseph P. Saniuk

Aftermath

District Fire Chief John Vahey wrote a comprehensive report on the Vendome fire. Although the cause of the original fire was not known, the subsequent collapse was attributed to the failure of an overloaded seven-inch steel column whose support had been weakened when a new duct had been cut beneath it, exacerbated by the extra weight of water used to fight the fire on the upper floors.

On June 17th, 1997 -- the 25th anniversary of the Vendome fire -- a monument was dedicated on the Commonwealth Avenue

Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Commonwealth Avenue is a major street in the cities of Boston and Newton, Massachusetts. It begins at the western edge of the Public Garden, and continues west through the neighborhoods of the Back Bay, Kenmore Square, Allston, Brighton and Chestnut Hill...

mall, a few yards from the site of the fire. The monument features a fireman's helmet and coat cast in bronze draped over a low arc of dark granite. An inscription bears the timeline of the fire and the names of the men who died. One faces the site of the fire when reading the names.

After the fire, the Vendome was successfully renovated, hosting 110 residential condominium units and 27 commercial units, including a restaurant.