Forty five years ago today on November 21, 1972 - Woolworth Store Fire on Main St. in Brattleboro. An excerpt from back then - Woolworth and Grant buildings. “A massive pre-dawn fire, its heart feeding on a basement paint storage area, destroyed Woolworth’s store on Main Street today, sending four firemen to the hospital. Brattleboro Fire Chief T. Howard Mattison declared the fire under control at 8 a.m., he said, “It was a near miss” at one point that none of his men were seriously injured or killed. Injured firemen included Randal P. Sage, 26, Wayne Shepard, 19, Louis Perham, 24, and Philip Rancourt Jr., 18, all with first and second degree burns of the face, head and ears.” Future Fire Chief David Emery was caught for a while in the burning basement as well. Call came into Fire Mutual Aid to send assistance at 04:46 hours. Bud Maynard was the dispatcher on duty. Back then, there was only one dispatcher on duty late at night.Newspaper clippings courtesy of Robert Spirka