News: Greenwood – Fire at Howard Hotel (23 Dec 1946)

Contact: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Lund, Meyer, Plank, Abel, Howard

----Source: Greenwood Gleaner (Greenwood, Clark Co., Wis.) 26 Dec 1946

Heavy damage was done to the Howard Hotel here (Greenwood, Clark Co., Wis.), Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1946, after fire broke out in the center of the brick and frame structure on Greenwood’s Main Street, at about 10 a.m.

The Greenwood Fire Department worked for an hour and a half to bring the fire under control, and maintained close watch in the afternoon to prevent the flames from staring up again because of the high wind and the closeness of the hotel to the drug store and Meyer’s Café. The Loyal Fire Department was called and responded within half an hour.

The fire was first observed by two men who were passing by the building and who turned in the alarm.

The Howard Hotel is located between the Lund Pharmacy and the Meyer Café, and is of two types of construction, the front section being of brick and the rear of wood. The wooden section was the most severely damaged.

The work of the two fire departments was indeed gratifying when you consider the coldness of the weather. Many of the men were covered with ice from the spray of water as it came off the building. The work of Ole Abel and James Plank, who manned a hose from a precarious position on the roof, was credited to a great extent with helping to bring the blaze under control.

The structure is the property of Mr. and Mrs. O.J. Howard, who purchased it and have been operating it since April 1945.

The damage has been estimated at between $3,000 and $4,000, and was covered by insurance.

The people of Greenwood are indeed grateful to the Loyal Fire Department for their promptness in answering our call, and for all the assistance they rendered at the fire. The Greenwood Fire Department should also be commended for the fine job they did.