KYW Flashback: The Year Of The Fire
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Newsradio was nearly 10 years old and KYW reporters had experienced their share of fire coverage and more. But nothing prepared us for the inferno infused year of 1975.
On one single day, four multi-alarm blazes broke out, two of them were cases of arson. But before the year was over, there would be a dramatic dockside blaze and eight firemen will have lost their lives in the most devastating refinery fire in Philadelphia history.
But 40 years ago on this April day, 1,000 Philadelphia firefighters were on the fire lines in north, south and west Philadelphia. The worst blaze was an 8-alarmer at 5th and Glenwood. When investigations were complete, a nine-year old boy was charged with setting that blaze along with seven others in an eight-month period.
And the year of infernos had just begun.