Hartford Hotel Fire 4-9-2004

Hartford MI - Pearls In Our Past

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Transcripts
§ Charles A. Spaulding - A History of Hartford - 153 pgs.
§ Katherine Minshall - Early History of Hartford and Lawrence 12 pgs.
§ Eli Fayette Ruggles Recollections of A Busy Life - circa 1904
§ History of Berrien & Van Buren Co's, Michigan - With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Pioneers, published in 1880.
§ History of Hartford Compiled in 1953-54 by HHS Class of 1958 during 8th grade.

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The Hartford House Fire (aka The Olds House) 4-9-2004 Hartford Michigan Page 1 of 2 Click here read the History of The Olds House-The Hartford House After the fire - Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004 What's left after the fire and demolition Story and original photos taken by Emma Thornburg Sefcik, Webmaster
4-11-04 Update - According to Firefighter, Kyle Norden, he and the Assistant Fire Chief went up after all was knocked down and found the dog, who growled at them. Kyle grabbed the dog and brought him down to safety. A nice end to this rumor!
The historic Hartford House structure was destroyed by fire that started about 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 9th. I arrived at the scene and started taking photos immediately. Firemen from several area localities assisted in battling the blaze that seemed to be contained at about 2:30 p.m. It is my understanding that there were 12 or 13 apartments in the building and all residents escaped uninjured. It appears that the fire started on the 3rd floor, where 6 children resided with two families. A family dog, however, did not survive the fire (channel 8 reports that the dog did survive). The resident apartment manager, Edward Pendergrass alerted and assisted residents to safety. At this point, the origin of the fire remains under investigation. This story will be updated with new photos and facts as the investigation continues.
12:57 p.m.	12.57 p.m.
12:58 p.m.	12:58 p.m.
12:59 p.m.	1:01 p.m.
1:02 p.m.	Roof edging was just starting to fall 1:03 p.m.
A few pieces of the roof are shown as the edging on the west side of the building fell to the ground. 1:03 p.m.	1:03 p.m.
1:07 p.m.	1:22 p.m.
1:22 p.m.	1:23 p.m.
1:23 p.m.	1:24 p.m.
The photos above also attempt to show surrounding buildings and houses for the folks who have been away from Hartford for awhile. Click on any photo to slightly enlarge for better viewing. Photos by Emma Thornburg Sefcik Click here to continue

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©
A Pictorial History of Hartford, Michigan
Emma Thornburg Sefcik,
Competent Secretarial Service
Copyright © 2000 - All rights reserved.