Tuesday August 20, 1974

Fire gutted the B & O freight warehouse on South Carroll Street, Frederick, and injured nine firefighters Monday night. Over 150 city and county firemen battled the two-and-a half- hour blaze that broke out suddenly in the warehouse at dusk. Firemen spent over an hour opening locked freight doors so they could bring the blaze inside under control. Then, with flames still rising among piles of freight in the heart of the building, reports of a toxic gas drove the firemen back. No source of poisonous gas was found and firemen prevented the fire from eating highly flammable polystyrene stored in cartons by the Packaging Corp. of America, that was feared could explode.

"The Labor Day Weekend Fire” came two weeks early this year. At least, Frederick City’s firefighters hope so after battling the B & O freight depot building. The last two “Great Frederick Fires,” coincidentally occurred on Labor Day Weekends, resulting in damages of more than $1 million. On Labor Day, Sept. 4, 1972, Frederick’s four volunteer fire departments fought one of their toughest fires that began on the fifth floor of the Francis Scott Key Hotel.

The other was considered Frederick’s biggest fire was on Aug. 30, 1971. This was the blaze that leveled Hiltner’s furniture and appliance store and damaged four other businesses in the Frederick Business Properties Co. buildings at 911-923 East St.