A friend sent me this archived article on the Fire which wiped out thousands upon thousands of data files in St Lous in 1973. Since this affected so many of us (trying to retrieve records), I know it would prove interesting to our readers and members.

http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/NPRC_fire_a_study_in_disaster.pdf

What a sad tale especially for those of us engaged in WWII research. With hindsight it is easy to say what a mistake it was to not include sprinklers in the original specification and build. Also the lack of attention to fire safety was a contributing factor.

The PDF made interesting reading and the fate of the pumper truck after 40 hours of continuous operation was something an ex RAF motor transport fitter well understood !

Colin.

Yes, it is still heartbreaking to think about, even after all these years. Maybe even more so, because now we know the scope of the destruction and how that one fire affected so many in its aftermath.