31 years ago today on January 18, 1985 - Equinox House fire in Manchester Vt. Here is a news article about the fire:Jan. 18, 1985 11:00 PM ET
MANCHESTER, VT. MANCHESTER, Vt. (AP) _ A damaged propane tank on Friday sprayed flaming gas and destroyed the south wing of the historic Equinox House, a rambling inn about to reopen following a $20 million renovation.
The late afternoon fire destroyed 70 rooms in the 148-room inn, which has been closed since 1976, said Wayne Wagner, president of the Galesi Group, which was renovating the structure.
The inn sits just south of the main green in Manchester, and has been the centerpiece of the resort community for about 150 years.
No injuries were reported in the fire, which started when a valve was ripped off a propane tank that was being backed into place by a pickup truck, said Peter Hopkins, editor of the local weekly newspaper. The leaking gas ignited and fire was sprayed onto the wooden structure, he said.
''The propane was spraying into the side, all the way up and above the four stories,'' said Hopkins, who arrived at the hotel before the fire engines. ''It flashed up the side of the building and spread along the fourth floor.
''Looking at the intensity of the fire, thrown up against the side of the building, I wondered whether there was any chance the building could be saved at all,'' said Hopkins, who edits the Manchester Journal.
About 200 firefighters and volunteers from as far as 32 miles away worked to contain the fire, said Hopkins. A connecting wing between the north and south sections was pulled down by a bulldozer to help contain the fire and give workers better access to the burning south wing, he said.
The main building, with its 290-foot colonnade, has stood empty since 1976. But a $20 million restoration undertaken by Albany, N.Y., developer Francesco Galesi, was nearly completed, and a grand reopening was scheduled for the Fourth of July.
6 years ago today on January 18, 2010 - Anchor Restaurant fire on South Main St. in Wilmington. Dispatchers on duty were Lt. Matt Yeatman and Kassie (Dupre) Lunderville.