Fatalities First For Department
March 30, 1964
Taken from the Daily Citizen News, reported by Lloyd Gulledge.
Three firemen were killed and a fourth injured early today when a brick wall fell on them at the scene of a fire on E. Walnut Ave.
Dead on arrival at the hospital were Lt. Charles (Chigger) Joyce, 38 of 1021 Colorado Drive; Johnnie W. Wofford, 38 of 609 Stillwood Drive and John Earle Ingle, 23 of 301 Pine Hill Drive.
Admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries including lacerations of the face was Raymond Phelps, 29, of 15 Cedar St.
They are the City Fire Department’s first fatalities.
The building which housed Commercial Mills, Inc., at 107 E. Walnut Ave. was consumed by flames.
Alarm Sounded
Fire Chief Luther Broome said the fire department received the call at 3:35 a.m. When firemen arrived the building was on fire almost all over and the truck had to stop some distance from the fire, he said. The roof soon collapsed leaving the walls standing, the chief recalled.
The four men spraying water into the building through the front door or front windows, when the front wall collapsed and fell out into the street. Mr. Ingle and Mr. Phelps were only partly covered by the debris. They were soon pulled free and rushed to the hospital. Firemen, policemen, ambulance attendants and several volunteers from Dalton Carpet Finishing Co. across the street worked frantically for about 15 minutes before they found the bodies of Lt. Joyce and Mr. Wofford.
Minute Earlier
Chief Broome said he had just talked with Lt. Joyce a minute earlier and had gone around behind the building to help get other lines into operation from another truck.
Another fireman, Dave Keener, saw the wall fall. So did an employee of Dalton Carpet Coating Co., Tommy Wimpy, and several other persons nearby.
Mr. Keener yelled to his fellow firemen as the wall began to collapse. He managed to escape to safety.
Mr. Wimpy said he saw the wall start to fall and yelled for the firemen to move back, but he didn’t think they heard him because of the noise. He said that apparently one of the men also saw the wall start to collapse and called out to the others. They started to run, he said, but the wall caught them.
Chief Broome said it was not known who turned in the alarm. Somebody called and said a house was on fire, he stated.
Started In West
Chief Broome said the fire apparently started in the west side of the main building which houses the Commercial mills, Inc. This firm was engaged in a small latexing business at the plant. This firm operated a small latexing plant equipped with a gas-fired oven. Chief Broome said, adding that the plant had been closed down since Friday. Small narrow goods up to 48 inches were latexed by the firm at this plant, he said.
Loopers machine shop and office were located in the west side of the building. The entire building is commonly known as Looper Warehouse or the old Looper Foundry.
Mr. Looper was in Newnan visiting his son Harold Looper, it was reported, and could not be reached by a reporter this morning.
Latex Plant
Chief Broome said the latexing plant was owned by Barney Chitwood, Buford Chitwood and Frank McClure. Space was rented from Mr. Looper.
Ten firemen including Chief Broome, answered the call. After the tragedy, other off-duty firemen were summoned.
The temperature was about 22 degrees, and a gusty north wind blowing. Chief Broome thinks the strong wind may have played a part in blowing the wall down after the roof collapsed.
It was the first time in the history of the Dalton Fire Department a fireman has been killed while on duty, according to Chief Broome, who consulted with a former chief Hardy Springfield.
