By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
One hundred years ago in Hays, on Nov. 17, 1919, a fire and resulting gas explosion killed six residents and two firefighters.
At least 42 people were hospitalized with severe burns, four in critical condition, and another 100 or so residents suffered injuries.
“Blast From Bursting Tank Imperilled [sic] Lives of Hundreds” reads the secondary headline of the Nov. 20, 1919 issue of The Ellis County News, which called the gasoline and oil fire at the Standard Oil Company “the most disastrous and tragic event in the history of Hays.”
The two firefighters, Nick Arnhold, 34, and Steve Tourtillotte, 44, are the only two personnel known to have died in the line of duty in the history of the Hays Fire Department, according to Ryan Hagans, fire chief.
Much of the research about the disaster was done by two 30-year Hays firefighters, Richard Shubert, who died last year, and Ralph Burns, Jr., who passed away in 2008.
The men, aided by other volunteers, researched the history of the Hays Fire Department from its beginnings in 1878 through 1995 when the compilation was published.
“That’s how we, the members of the fire department, keep this event in the back of our minds,” says Hagans.
“You gotta know where you came from. The fire service is a family. Everybody likes to know their own family history, but it also teaches us the hows and whys of what we do today.”
A memorial plaque honoring Arnhold and Tourtillotte was installed in 1991 on the south exterior of the Hays fire station on Main Street.
Several years ago each shift made a presentation about the event to teach the firefighters about it and why the department operates differently today, a section labeled “Lessons Learned.
“There are advancements in firefighting technology, changes in building construction, implementation of fire and life-saving codes, building codes, zoning regulations,” Hagans said.
“All of that comes into play now because tragedy happened.”
News reports from The Ellis County News and the Hays Free Press recounted the catastrophe three days later in their newspapers dated Nov. 20, 1919.
The fire was started shortly before 7:30 a.m. by a vehicle backfiring in the garage of the Standard Oil Company, located in what today is the 200 block of East 10th Street next to the railroad tracks in downtown Hays.
The fire spread to three gasoline storage tanks in the garage, which began exploding.
At 8:15 a.m., the final and biggest explosion sent a 200-gallon gasoline barrel flying two blocks to the north through the residential area, showering flaming oil and debris onto a crowd of spectators gathered to watch the spreading fire.
The nearby Farmers Cooperative Union Elevator, filled to capacity, was also completely engulfed by fire.
“Fire Threatened Entire Eastern Portion of City. Flames Visible More than Forty Miles” read a subheadline in the News.
The residents killed were Phillip Sargent, Mrs. Lewis Miller, Miss Elizabeth Buchholz, Mrs. Peter Heronime, Peter Rheim and Miss Mary Stressler.
Three homes were also destroyed.
Total property loss was estimated at $60,500.
Approximately 16 Hays firefighters responded to the scene with two hose carts and one chemical wagon. Mutual aid was provided by the Ellis and La Crosse fire departments.
The State Fire Marshal of Kansas, L.T. Hussey, issued a report about the fire within a 1919 annual Kansas fire statistics summary to Gov. Henry Allen.
A deputy from Hussey’s office was dispatched to the scene in Hays “while the ruins were still burning.”
“This fire, or fires, rather, was the result of the too common error of keeping automobiles in a building adjacent to oil storage tanks. … I am convinced of the need of stringent regulations regarding the location of gasoline and oil storage plants, also the handling of gasoline and oil from these plants,” the report read.
Hussey added that as a result of the Hays fire, his department was deluged with requests from all over Kansas for regulations covering the storage of large quantities of gasoline and oil near the residential or business sections of towns.
The National Fire Prevention Association changed its codes to require all flammable liquids storage tanks at all automotive service stations to be stored underground. Modern zoning regulations now keep industrial/business districts separated from residential areas.
Less than a year after the tragedy the city of Hays purchased its first mechanical fire truck on April 15, 1920. The first motorized fire truck, a REO Speedwagon, was purchased new in 1921.
The REO was tracked down by Shubert in Wichita Falls, Texas, and returned to Hays in July, 2016.
Among the advancements in the last 100 years is firefighting foam, which would most likely be used on such a fire today, according to Shane Preston, HFD deputy chief.
“We’d use a little bit of water, but we’re mostly going to foam now,” Preston says. “Technology in foam has advanced so much it does really help separate the fumes from the ignition source.”
Foam is carried on each of the department’s fire trucks.
Advanced technology is used in other areas including monitoring equipment, thermal imaging cameras and the trucks themselves.
Fire training is also more technical.
When Preston started his career 18 years ago, “we were taught you put the wet stuff on the red stuff,” he smiled. “That was Firefighter 101.”
“Now it’s more, we gotta look at what the smoke’s doing, what we’re going into, what the building is telling us, and knowing what kind of equipment we bring.”
The term firefighter is misleading, contends Hagans, who has more than 20 years experience. “We do so much more than fight fire.”
Hays firefighters spend more than 300 hours a year training.
In partnership with the Ellis County Fire Department, they learn specialized rescue techniques for situations including high buildings and trench and grain bin collapses.
The FAA mandates training at the Hays Regional Airport. HFD recently participated in a drill assessing emergency response to an airplane crash at the airport.
Fire inspections of buildings are conducted year-round as well as fire prevention education.
All Hays firefighters are also EMTs. The on-duty shift responds to calls with Ellis County Emergency Medical Services.
Another tribute will be made to Arnhold and Tourtillotte when a street sign is soon erected at the entrance of the new Hays Regional Fire/Rescue Training Facility in south Hays. A classroom is currently under construction.
Hays Fire Department personnel Lisa Beilman, Allison Friesen, and Ryan Hagans, along with City Attorney John Bird contributed information and research to this story.
CORRECTION at 8:20 a.m. Nov. 18, 2019: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated this fire caused the only civilian deaths in Hays. Three Hays residents died in a house fire in 1997, according to information in the Hays Daily News. Hays Post regrets the error.