Clipper Mill Industrial Park Fire

On Sunday, September 17, 1995 at 12:30 AM, I was in bed reading and slowly drifting off to sleep. My husband was at work on a night trick as a Lieutenant for the Baltimore City Fire Department. It wasn't his usual shift, but he was pulling overtime and was detailed to a different company (Engine 8 at LaFayette & Stricker). The telephone rang, jarring me awake. It was my husband, at Maryland General Hospital, asking me to come and pick him up. A granite wall had collapsed and fallen on him, breaking his leg and giving him a concussion.(He called me instead of the letting the nurse do it because he knew I wouldn't believe her when she told me he was still alive.) So, I called his parents to tell them the news and they insisted on driving me there- thank goodness because it was dark and raining and I am not familiar with that part of the city! Here is what I found out:

Clipper Mill Industrial Park: 3500 Clipper Road Baltimore, MD

Clipper Mill was originally built in 1851 to hold a machine-manufacturing and metal-casting plant. When this industry died out, the complex (so large it could fit three football fields inside) housed a variety of artist studios, a rock climbing gym, and funiture refinishers. Around 9:40 PM on Saturday, September 16, 1995, Jim Ellis, owner of a rock climbing gym in that complex, had apparently heard a loud popping noise, followed by the loss of the main lights in the gym. He got the climbers off the wall, then went outside to see what happened.

He saw fire on the roof, and since his phone wasn't working, he had to go to another shop to call 911. The fire spread very rapidly within a matter of minutes. By the time the first alarm arrived, a decision was made for firefighters to enter the building and try and make an interior attack. The windows had metal grills and a roll-up metal door that was locked, so four men from Rescue 1 had to agressively attack the building to gain access. Meanwhile the fire continued to spread rapidly and additional alarms were called in and several master streams employed. Around 10:06 PM, the BCFD shift commander called communications and notified them that the fire was out of control and a sixth alarm was dispatched to set up for exposure protection. The firefighters who had finally entered the inside of the building had not realized that the wood beneath the building's slate roof had been on fire until a burning heating vent fell from the ceiling. At this point, they all raced for the door, but the last two men inside fell in the doorway. (A firefighter is seen on Fox 45 news tape trying to pull them away from the door as others run over to help them.) By then, the remains of the metal door is seen starting to buckle outward over them.It was 10:12 PM. Those on their feet tried to outrun the wall. (My husband says he felt the vibration two seconds before it fell and ran.) He dove under nearby Truck 25. Bill's upper torso made it under, (he knocked himself temporarily unconscious in the process) but his legs stuck out from underneath the fire truck and the granite wall fell on them, breaking his left leg. He was lucky!

The photos below are thumbnails & you can click on them to make them bigger. They're kind of grainy, but I got some of them from a TV capturing device when I was first learning how to use it.

The wall collapse sequence.....

PERSONNEL AT WALL AT TIME OF COLLAPSE:

1. F/F Eric Schaefer, R-1

2. Capt. Joseph Lunzynski T-25

3. Lt. Paul Novak E-13

4. Lt. Mitchell Fisher R-1

5. F/F John Miller T-16

6. F/F Stuart Curtin T-25

7. F/F John Scarpati E-13

8. F/F Robert Wagner R-1

9. F/F Ronald Bezereti R-1

10. E.V.D. Steve Cobo T-16

11. F/F Barry Blackmon T-15/E-19

12. Lt. William Kern T-8/E-8

13. B.C. Walter Jordan BC7

14. Lt. Robert Finnick T-29

15. F/F Michael Williams T-10

16. F/F Kevin Clifton E-8

17. Act. Lt. Mark Guinan T-16

Eric Schaefer, 25, was killed instantly. He had just gotten married two and a half months before the accident.

Clean up operations

Firefighter Barry Blackmon suffered a broken jaw, severe facial lacerations and a concussion, broken teeth, a broken neck, bilateral punctured lungs, and a dislocated left ankle. Firefighter Stu Curtain suffered a broken left arm and inhaled water. He was almost drowned by a ruptured two and a half inch hoseline. Captain Joseph Lynczynski suffered a crushed pelvis and broken hand. Blackmon and Lynczynski were forced to take their pensions due to their injuries.

F/F Miller's helmet saved his life

My husband, Bill, injured on the fireground, photo from Ch 11 News video.

Several other firefighters were also injured with both physical and emotional disabilities. Ambulances could not make their way into the fire scene, so the injured firefighters were put on the light rail (which was right there and had been stopped at 9:59 PM from running due to the fire.) They were taken further on down the track to the North Avenue Station where ambulances were waiting. My husband said it was the hottest fire he has ever been on (with 20 years of volunteer and professional experience at the time.) This fire eventually went to 9 alarms. The Clipper Mill building had solid oak floors soaked with oil from a centurary and a half of machinery use. The attic was full of wooden racks made of quick burning pine. Many of the artists had acetylene tanks, propane, and aerosols which erupted like bombs and made for extremely dangerous conditions. Although arson was suspected, no one has been convicted for this crime.

(L to R ) F/F Barry Blackmon, Chief Heinbuch & Lt. Bill Kern.

Barry & Bill both recieved Firefighter of the Year awards from the Knights of Columbus.

Elated to have survived, my hubby chats on the phone to his buddies about the fire the next day.

"I DON'T want my picture taken. Service me, woman!"

About Me:

My husband & I met as volunteers for the Ferndale Vol. Fire Dept. in 1981. Bill fought fires and I was a cardiac rescue technician. He is currently a lieutenant with the Baltimore City Fire Department as a professional firefighter (hired 1975) at Truck 8 on Frederick Rd.. He also volunteers at the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department. He also enjoys being a Ham radio operator, amateur technician (Call:N3WJG) who hangs out a lot on 147.03 and is a member of BRATS (Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society).

And the brave men of
Truck 8........

Here is a picture of
Bill on a
working fire........

After 15 years of volunteering between Ferndale and Odenton Volunteer Fire Departments, a back injury forced me to finally give up riding the ambulance. I still have my EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) -but now I work at North Arundel Hospital as a special graphics technician doing mostly cardiac and some EEG (brain wave) tests.

OTHER PHOTOS

The movie Avalon was written & directed by Barry Levinson . Bill is the silhouette manning the pumps in this 1990 movie. Photo courtsey of

Lou Julianna

Bill is the silhouette on the right. This was for the TV drama Homicide: Life In the Streets, aired 11/20/98

This Homicide episode was the second of two parts, called "Wanted Dead or Alive".

Bill is in the upper left of this picture wearing the blue helmet

That's FF Ralph Bowman seen between actors Giancarlo Esposito and Yaphet Kotto. They were doing a rescue scene for a police detective trapped after a car chase.

This April 1999 photo is courtesy of the Catonsville Times. Bill is in the far right of this picture behind Air Unit 368 on a Frederick Road house fire.

To purchase some cool videos & other fire related stuff- go to Baltimore Fire Videos

Check my friend's web site: The Firehouse with lots of great links!

For all you fire buffs out there, I am also web manager of Baltimore Metro Dispatch

Lastly, I am a bona- fide George Clooney fan and have set up a *huge* web site about him. Click on the banner to visit:

Sign Guestbook View Guestbook

Ida's e-mail:clooneyfan@juno.com

Bill's e-mail: BCT8LT@juno.com


The movie Avalon was written & directed by Barry Levinson . Bill is the silhouette manning the pumps in this 1990 movie. Photo courtsey of Lou Julianna	Bill is the silhouette on the right. This was for the TV drama Homicide: Life In the Streets, aired 11/20/98

This Homicide episode was the second of two parts, called "Wanted Dead or Alive". Bill is in the upper left of this picture wearing the blue helmet	That's FF Ralph Bowman seen between actors Giancarlo Esposito and Yaphet Kotto. They were doing a rescue scene for a police detective trapped after a car chase.

This April 1999 photo is courtesy of the Catonsville Times. Bill is in the far right of this picture behind Air Unit 368 on a Frederick Road house fire.