Fire: Lusk Lumber Burns

The Lusk Herald, June 25, 1920

FIRE SWEEPS BIG LUSK LUMBER CO. YARDS SUNDAY

Damage to Buildings and Contents Is Estimated at About $85,000

LOSS GREATER THAN INSURANCE

Fire and Water Damage in Office building While Dry Sheds Are Total Loss

That Lusk now has an abundance of water for fire protection was
demonstrated when the yards of the Lusk Lumber Company were discovered
to be on fire last Sunday at about 3:00 a.m.

The alarm was given by one of the switch engines in the railway yards
and the minutes were few before Sam Langford with his equipment and
men, was on the jobs and streams were playing from every hydrant in that
part of town.

The fire evidently started in the big dry sheds that extended east
from the rear of the office building and had spread the entire length of
the building before being discovered for it was but a few minutes after
flames first appeared through the roof until the entire building
collapsed.

The rear end of the office building was burned away and the large
storage house purchase from the Indiana Motor Company a few months ago
and used by then as a garage, which joined the dry sheds on the east,
was completely destroyed.

The sash, door and lime house was badly damaged and was saved only
with great difficulty while much of the contents were rendered worthless
by the heat, smoke and water.

Numerous piles of lumber and several small buildings near the center of the yard were burned while others were badly damaged.

Considerable damage was sustained in the offices for in removing
portions of the equipment some of the accounting machines were broken,
plate glass smashed and files and records burned or water soaked.

Practically all the finish lumber in the yards was destroyed and it
is perhaps a most conservative estimate to place the total loss at
$85,000.00 The insurance is said to have been around $80,000.00.

The Lusk Lumber company is a branch of the Sterling Lumber and Investment company of Denver.

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