The 1947 Rochester Forest Fire

The greatest fire in Rochester's history produced the following newspaper headlines

FIRE LOSS HERE 3-4 MILLION RED CROSS TO AID VICTIMS

SCENES OF NEAR PANIC AS FLAMES THREATEN CITY

FIREMEN VICTORS IN EPIC BATTLE WITH THE FLAMES

HOMES IN PATH OF FIRE EVACUATED WITHOUT CASUALTIES

The Summer of 1947 was DRY, and in later October of that year only 1/8 inch of rain had fallen since mid-September and the tempatures were hot. Small ponds and streams were dried up and the local farmers were using water from the Salmon Falls River and Cocheco River to provide water for their livestock. The conditions in the Summer of 1947 made the fire risk high and only one spark was needed to ignite it all. The spark was provided October 21 by a passing train car in Farmington. Sparks from the train shot on both sides of the track and easily ignited the dry grass, thus starting the biggest fire to strike Rochester

At first the fire seemed to be in control of the fire fighters, but two days later and winds up to 60 miles per hour drove the 'small' fire out of control. The wind driven fire moved to the south and east into Rochester. The fire would engulf an area over 9 miles long and over 2 miles wide with walls of flame 40 feet high. Before the fire was under control over 30 homes in Rochester would be lost. Below is a map with an outline showing the extent of the fire.

The October 30, 1947 Rochester Courier reported the following houses were lost to the fire
Chamberlain Street - Charles Brown Chamberlain Street - William & Maude Tuttle Chestnut Hill Road - Lawrence Brown
Chestnut Hill Road - Joseph Busiere Chestnut Hill Road - Wallace Chase Chestnut Hill Road - May Chesley
Chestnut Hill Road - Ralph Cilley Chestnut Hill Road - Charles Connors Chestnut Hill Road - Laubin Geyer
Chestnut Hill Road - Stub Geddis Chestnut Hill Road - Henry Grant Chestnut Hill Road - Bob Harris
Chestnut Hill Road - Arthur Jacques Chestnut Hill Road - Arthur Moulton Chestnut Hill Road - George Perkins
Chestnut Hill Road - Hazel and Emma Tibbets Chestnut Hill Road - Arthur Thilbodeau Chestnut Hill Road - Fred Whitehouse
2nd Chestnut Hill Road - Frank Cross 2nd Chestnut Hill Road - C.H. Gage 2nd Chestnut Hill Road - Effe Gould
Eastern Avenue - Roderick MacLeod Old Milton Road - George Gagne Jr. Old Milton Road - Harry Paquette
Old Milton Road - Ernest Turmelle Old Milton Road - Paul Vittum Little Falls Road - Peter L'Esperance
Little Falls Road - Ralph and Elizabeth Rogers Portland Street - Vivian Cotton Portland Street - Fred Huntress
Portland Street - George Palmer Portland Street - Roy Palmer Portland Street - George Randall
Portland Street - Eben Thompson Portland Street - Albert Wallace Portland Street - Studley's Home
Wakefield Street - Clevland Beard Wakefield Street - Earl Wyman
Below are the remains of a house owned by Charles Brown of 83 Chamberlain Street.

STUDENT DIES UNDER TRUCK
The October 30, 1947 Rochester Courier reported this sad story of the one death caused by this fire.

Crushed beneath the right rear dual wheel of a truck, said to have been operated by Ernest E. Horne, 125 South Main Street, Rochester on which he was riding with several volunteer fire fighters Monday night, Roger S. Durfee, 18, son of State Police Lt. Carroll Durfee of Concord, and a student at the University of New Hampshire, was killed instantly.

The accident was a product of of the situation existing in Rochester by reason of the fire and subsequent events and that no criminal responsibility is attached to anyone.

Durfee and two other youths were riding on a truck enroute on the Whitehall Road to the Salmon Falls Road to aid in the fighting. Two water drums were in an upright position and the other one was lying down. The three youths were in a crouching position against the headboard of the truck, facing the rear.

A Red Cross car was enroute to the lower end of the Whitehall Road with a pair of shoes for a firefighter. As their car approached the Whitehall Road the sentry flagged them down. About the same time the truck was coming up Whitehall Road in an easterly direction. When the sentry, whose back was to the truck, saw the Red Cross insignia, he signalled for them to proceeed.

On the smoky road the truck driver believed the signal was for him and started. As he saw the Red Cross car pull out into the road he applied his brakes. Durfee went over the edge of the cab, striking his head on the roadway. The truck started up, and drove over him, killing him instantly.

FIGHTING THE FIRE WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT

Hundreds of volunteers fought the fire, as well as Firemen from neighboring towns. Some of the men labored 72 straight hours with hardly any rest. It is estimated that 2700 Firefighters/volunteers took part in combatting the fire. Others volunteered to bring food and water to the fire fighters. Other volunteers helped the over 100 families evacuate their homes bringing furniture and family belongings to three major storage points (the Rochester Commons was one of the major storage points). Local hotels were used to house some of the evacuated people. Other volunteers helped raise money to help those who had lost their homes.

The 1947 Rochester Fire Department Permanent Men
Ralph G. Seavey, Chief Charles L. Plummer, Dep. Chief Robert K. Allen, Clerk
George V. Hussey, 1st Lt. James A. Brennan, 2nd Lt. Frederic Cookson
Stanley F. Ellingwood Harold E. Jenness William R. Keynon
Harry Lemke

The 1947 Rochester Fire Department Deputy Chiefs
William Horne Joseph E. Woods William B. Shaw
John Meader

The 1947 Rochester Fire Department Call Men
Roy Emmonds Edward Dunlap Joseph Rainville
Joseph Morrison Walter Desrosiers Robert Gerry
Robert W. Emmonds Charlie K. Ricker Chester Smith
Ernest Winkley Kenneth Stone Irving T. Mann
Arthur Labrecque Ernest J. Dallaire Frank Powell
Andrew Dagget Ivan Jenkins Ernest Daggett
Ernest Stevenson Ernest Couture Dwight Raab
Ed Marble George Duchesneau Omar Lanoix
Ludger Cossette Alphonse Hamel Henry Lenfest
Albert Tessier Roland Grenier Fred Grenier
Albert Warburton Clarence Cole Richard Cole
Kenneth Cowell Ernest Stevens Elwin stevens
Carl Jacobs Ernest Rolfe Granville Rogers
Oscar Wixson Telesphore Foster Franklin Thibeault
Perley Currier Otto McCrillis Clifford Grenier
Irving Jacobs Rodney McGrath Harry Hamilton
Roland White Ralph Horne Richard Hervey
Ralph Dunlap Lucien Lamontagne Albert Balcom
James Wilson Robert Varney J. Lamontagne
Earle York Wesley Page Otis Dunnells
Phillip Dunells James Hussey Phil Hussey
Carlisle Baker Norman Griffin William Giera
Bernard Smith Maurice Hobbs

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