Lumber Company Buildings Hit By Fire

AS FIRE ATTACKED GILL LUMBER CO.: Thick clouds of white smoke swirl upward over sheds housing high-priced lumber as flames consumed one lumber shed and raced into two others at Gill Lumber Co. Saturday afternoon. Here, in a picture taken from the air, firemen have trucks on both the S. Main St. and Ashley St. sides and are shooting streams of water into the stacks of lumber. Although damage amounted to "several thousands of dollars," according to officials, the fire could well have destroyed most of the immediate area had it broken out undetected at night, firemen said.
AS THE FLAMES DIED: In the foreground is the wreckage of the Gill Lumber Co. sawing shed after flames raced through the wood structure Saturday afternoon. Much damage was done to the building in the background, where fire ate through just beneath the roof and raced to the far end of the structure. Window frames stored in the shed at right also were damaged by fire and water, and there was considerable water damage elsewhere.
WATER ON THE FIRE SCENE: Huge pools of water and expanses of ice soon covered the Gill Lumber Co. fire area as firemen poured thousands of gallons of water on the buildings from two directions. No firemen were seriously hurt, although there were many minor bruises from falls on ice-covered surfaces. Cause of the blaze was undetermined but may have stemmed from an electrical short in wiring running to a power saw.