Hugh Smith wrote:
>Can anyone add any records center fires of large scale that I have
missed?

Most records professionals in the Midwest remember or have dealt with
the results from the Americold Fire of Dec 28, 1991 in Kansas City,
Kansas. The fire started in a food storage of an old limestone mine that
was also used to by other tenants including a commercial records center.

The fire department was unable to fight the fire effectively in the 170
acre mine before their air ran out. Americold tried to smother the fire
by closing off the section and pumping in CO2 for a week. They opened it
back up after a week and found the fire was still burning. The fire
finally burned itself out in April of 1992. I think all of the paper
records for all clients were unrecoverable. However, I am aware of one
case where microfilm was salvaged and cleaned.

The fire prompted the National Fire Protection Association to develop
standard NFPA 520 for subterranean spaces. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=U_8SiwbE7PsC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=americ
old+fire+kansas+city+1991&source=web&ots=k9Zdk61Yhb&sig=aRPuWQEWVNH4uXrO
oa1BEeLMN7o#PPA30,M1an spaces.  

See this link for more info:
http://books.google.com/books?id=U_8SiwbE7PsC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=americ
old+fire+kansas+city+1991&source=web&ots=k9Zdk61Yhb&sig=aRPuWQEWVNH4uXrO
oa1BEeLMN7o#PPA30,M1

Rob Seibolt


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