As a returnee from the wilds of New York City, I had lived through blackouts,transportation meltdowns and terrorist attacks. Being a city dweller, I became indifferent to these events; especially the many fires during the '60s and '70s. Once retired, I returned to Andover where my formative years were spent and wondered about a huge Andover fire witnessed as a child. I had a close up view of this dramatic conflagration as it occurred about 20 yards from our family property at 41 Red Spring Road.
The fire broke out early Sunday evening Feb. 23,1941 and in today's money terms would have been at least a $10 million loss.The enormity of that fire marshalled many nearby fire, police and public safety departments and tied up the Boston and Maine Railroad into the wee hours of Monday morning. It was a major radio story and units responded from greater Boston. The traffic and the people logistics became a nightmare as thousands flocked to see this mini disaster. Fire apparatus roared in from all directions leading to what is now known as Dundee Park. It was a "baptism of fire" for newly appointed Andover fire chief Edward Buchan.
Our property at 41 Red Spring Road was yards from the abandoned Smith and Dove Mills, soon became a staging area for eyewitnesses. These were the days before crowd control and all the unwelcome visitors could not be evicted from our land. In the twilight of that Sunday, my family had been doing yard work before it got dark. My younger brother Marco became transfixed by a door opening and closing inside the mill showing a flaming interior. Soon a fire broke out, Marco yelled for me to run to the house and tell my mother to call the Fire Department. She must have seen the huge flames as I ran towards her breathlessly because she dashed back into the house and made the call. Our home overlooked the raging inferno which gave great heat that wintry night. My father set out chairs for neighbors since our house on the hill commanded a magnificent ringside view overlooking the towering inferno and the Shawsheen River with its many spectators standing on the ice. It amazed me no one ended up wet. The next day a smoldering fire with periodic burst of flames was all that was left from the previous exciting evening. Firemen were still on the job. Our property showed the effects of thousands of feet and destruction to newly planted trees.
Chief Buchan's quick assessment of the magnitude of the fire and the wind condition was a reason a major disaster was averted on that Sunday. The many fire services scrambled to intercept the flying embers that flew for miles. Secondary blazes sprung up in many locations. Hundreds of feet from the fire, residents of Central Street were forced to hose down their homes. A wind shift could have taken our house along with neighbors' along the Indian Ridge neighborhood.The whole industrial district was threatened with M.T. Stevens standing to lose over a million dollars in textile goods. The Cricket field near Saint Augustine Cemetery off Lupine Road lost much of its grass from the errant sparks. The Vermont Tea and Butter and more than 20 other major employers were threatened that day. The dexterity and agility of firemen from the many communities spoke legions for their professionalism.
As mentioned previously, the Boston and Maine Railroad was completely shut down. Skiers returning from New Hampshire along with many others were stranded because of the fire. Water hoses snaked all over the tracks making passage nonexistent. All roads leading to the fire area was prioritized for emergency vehicles so a Sunday stroll was impractical.
The greatest loser that day was at the Plastex Corp., the location of the fire outbreak. This North American Chemical Co.'s newest branch had no insurance and an unhooked sprinkler system. Plastex was about to manufacture plastic products, a fairly new innovation. One of the dangers fireman faced was the possibility of a major explosion because 4,000 gallons of naphtha had been stored under a cement floor of the burning building. Tons of water was sprayed upon the heated floor averting what could have been catastrophic.
The local Andover Red Cross newly formed disaster unit provided much needed food and hot beverages for those fighting a major event in Andover history. Their expertise became needed after Dec. 7 of that year because it was a trial under fire for them, too.
Bart Stefani is a resident of Andover.
