Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Atwell building fire, December 1971

Description

"Wakefield High School's Atwell Building on Main Street was gutted by a multi-million dollar fire which was first noticed by a passing call firefighter at 8:23 p.m. on Sunday, December 12, 1971. Flames were discovered on the first floor of the building in a north wall partition opposite the office of Superintendent of Schools, Dr. George MacArthur. It was believed the fire started in a classroom on the second floor above the accounting section of the school system's central office which adjoined the Superintendent's office. It traveled westerly through the floor partitions, over the area of the boys' lockers and into the auditorium through the ventilating ducts. Firefighters from 19 communities fought the fire throughout the night and into the early morning hours. The flames spread throughout the building, following air ducts and hollow passages until firefighters opened several ventilation holes in the roof to stop the lateral movement of the fire. The fire broke through the roof after midnight. Thousands of local residents came to the scene after being alerted to the fire by a news bulletin on a Boston TV station. Many students joined teachers, coaches and school officials in retrieving musical instruments and uniforms, sports equipment, audio-visual equipment and business machines which were in the back of the building. When the fire was finally out 20 hours later, 30 firefighters had been overcome by the acrid smoke and two more had been injured. The building was condemned the next day by the Building Inspector and a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety. A professional company from Arlington was hired to remove anything that was salvageable. Wakefield High School students attended double sessions in the high school's adjacent Memorial Building from 7 a.m. to 12 noon, and 12 noon to 5 p.m. This led to a 'modified' open study concept since no classrooms were available to be used as study rooms. Lockers were shared by two students and underclassmen were limited in their participation in varsity sports. The 1923 high school building was razed and the site where the school stood is now the Galvin Middle School parking lot."

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2013

Photos courtesy of John Devlin and Jim Murphy

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

485 Main Street (Wakefield, Mass.)

Date

12-1971

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

Wakefield, Mass. : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

School buildings

Fires

Atwell School (Wakefield, Mass.)

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

2 pictures: b & w

Extent

32 x 16 cm. and 13 x 9 cm.