Bay City, Michigan's Fire History

Pioneer structures were at risk for fire because of the use of candles and open fires used for heating and cooking.  They were made of wood which burns quickly.  The first firefighters were people in the community who volunteered to help each other.

In 1859,  Israel Catlin, Harmon A. Chamberlain, and Henry M. Bradley were appointed on the committee of fire protection.   On January 4, 1860, the committee was authorized to obtain 4,000 feet of leather hose and a large triangle with which to sound the fire alarms.  The first small hand pumping engine ("Try Us") was used by volunteer firefighters.  In 1861, another hand engine ("Tiger") was purchased and used until the "Red Rover" was purchased.  H. M. Bradley became the first engineer of the new company. There was a significant fire July 1863 where firefighters were put to the test.  Fire started on the south side of Centre street, between Water and Saginaw streets, spreading on both sides of Water street for two blocks, destroying the "Red Rover" engine and its engine house.  On November 18, 1865 the new Silsby steam engine was purchased and the Neptune company was organized.   The steam engines were phased out with the construction of the waterworks in 1874 and they were replaced with hose carts. 

Born March 31, 1847 in Canada, Thomas K Harding was Bay City's longest running fire chief with a career spanning over 45 years.  He started his career as a printer's boy for the Detroit Advertiser and worked there three years, where he met several notable Detroit firefighters.  In 1866 he came to Bay City to start a paper but joined the fire service.  In 1883, Thomas K Harding became fire chief and was known for lumber firefighting.   He formed a firemen's benevolence fund in 1885.  By 1908, newspapers reported that Chief Harding was serving with over 42 years of service; his fire dog (a terrier), Jack, had 13 years; and his fire horse, Gollogher, with 15 years.  He was an active member of the State Firemen's Association and in 1890 became Vice President of the National Firemen's Association.  Chief Harding died following an operation in September 20, 1912.  

October 8-10, 1871 marked a significant moment in Great Lakes' fire history when a set of dry, windy conditions in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan resulted in great conflagrations.  Peshtigo, Wisconsin was hardest hit losing 1,200 to 2,500 souls.  "The Great Chicago Fire" stole headlines and made a mark in history, because it happened at the same time.  "The Great Michigan Fire" is the phrase used to described the various fires that started and spread throughout communities in Michigan including Holland, Manistee, Port Huron, and the Saginaw-Bay area.   Portsmouth experienced a significant loss.

A significant advancement in technology, the first electric fire alarms were installed in Bay City.

 By May 1884, Chief Harding reported that the Bay City Fire Department had 38 active officers and firemen; five fire houses with attached horse stables; and horses to pull carriages.  Apparatus includes four first class 4-wheeled hose carriages; one spare hose carriage; one first-class fire escape truck; a second class Silsby engine; and one third-class Clapp and Jones Engine.  The fire alarm telegraph system was reported as being in perfect condition, and the department had recently installed their own independent phone system.  Company names included the following:

• Hose Company No. 1: Neptune (Headquarters)
• Hose Company No. 2:  Vigilant (Ward 1)
• Hose Company No. 3:  Rescue (4th Ward)
• Hose Company No. 4:  Nighthawk (7th Ward) 
• Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 (4th Ward)
• Hose House No. 5:  Lookout (5th Ward)

In January 1886 the Westover Fire destroyed the Opera House on the Westover block. In 1885 the owner, William Westover, had closed the four-story establishment because he was concerned a fire would result in a loss of life.

On July 25, 1892 Bay City was visited by "the most disastrous conflagration that ever visited the Saginaw Valley."  According to the several newspapers of the day, over 300 buildings and six blocks were destroyed.  The fire broke out at about 2 pm at Miller & Turner's sawmill, where winds carried the blaze towards the river, and the blaze continued until about midnight.  People rushed to assist or remove items from their homes, and it was reported that firefighters would lay hose and need to flee for their lives.  Telegraphs for help went to Saginaw, Flint and Detroit asking for assistance.  A formal appeal was made to the citizens of Detroit to help their sister city, as many people were homeless and desperate for help.  One woman and two children were believed to lose their lives; remarkably, many people were able to flee to safety.

In August of 1902, the Bay City Opera House was destroyed by fire.  Eugene Zeremba, a 24-year-old man, died and was found later by firemen in the debris.  

On May 19, 1903, Bay City's famed 121-year-old Masonic Temple was damaged by fire.   The original onion roof domes and copper-domed bell tower were destroyed and not rebuilt. The building was repaired and reopened in 1905.

On December 23, 1906 Bay City lost one of its oldest and largest hotels, a brick structure built in 1867.  A night clerk discovered the fire and alerted guests and the staff.  All escaped with their lives except for the hotel fireman, John O'Neil.   Mr O'Neil was taken to Mercy Hospital unconscious and suffering from both smoke inhalation and severe burns, where he died on December 24 at 1 a.m.   Andrew Brown, a storeroom clerk, was trapped on the fourth floor and made a thrilling escape that was reported in many newspapers of the time.   The longest ladder available reached only the third floor.  Firefighter Thomas Harding, Jr ran up the ladder with a shorter one which also was short of the fourth floor.  Andrew Brown lost his hold, fell onto the ladder system, and was assisted by Harding and others to safety.  

 The firehouse at 500 Adams Street is remembered because it was opened by Charles H Crampton in 1913 and closed by his son in 1973.  Fire chiefs that presided there included the following:  

• 1912 to 1928 - Charles H Crampton 
• 1929 to 1933 - Dennis Rivet
• 1933 to 1943 - Harry Crumb
• 1943 to 1958 - Joseph Trudell
• 1958 to 1962 - Jacob Hohmann, Jr
• 1962 to 1965 - Maurice Auger
• 1965 to 1973 - Charles E Crampton

The station was closed in 1973 when number 1 and 6 stations were consolidated into one station located at 1401 Center.  The doorknob from the old 500 Adams St station is kept by the Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum. 

We don't know exactly when the last fire horse was in service, but most stations switched over to motorized fire engines when they became available.  Motorized equipment was cheaper to maintain and had more endurance than the beloved fire horses.

On April 1, 1940 the Ridotto Building located on the corner of Madison and Center Avenues was consumed by fire.  Initially, people thought it was an April Fool's Day joke.  The all-alarm brought apparatus from all of Bay City's eight fire stations.  It was estimated that approximately 5,000 spectators watched the blaze.  The fire had started in the basement where a cigarette tossed into the elevator shaft ignited dust.  

 A 70-year-old downtown Bay City landmark was destroyed and ten people's lives lost when a fire ripped through the Wenanoh four-story combination hotel-apartment complex on December 10, 1977.   People escaped out of any door and window they could get to, some of them using mattresses and rope ladders made of bedsheets to get out of upper story windows.  The fire was caused by an electrical short. 

On December 24, 1979 about one hundred firefighters fought a blaze that eventually destroyed Oppenheim's department store located at 817 Washington.

On September 16, 1990 the oil tanker MV Jupiter started on fire in the Saginaw River near Independence Bridge in Bay City.  The tanker was unloading gasoline when its lines broke loose when a freighter passed by.  Thomas Sexton, a crewman from Iowa, was fatally injured.  The fire burned for 29 hours, and after it was out and the media had left, the fire re-started and was put out again.  

Bay City maintained separate Police and Fire departments until 2012 when the police and fire departments consolidated under the Bay City Department of Public Safety.  

Bay City first responders were called to serve during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic which began in March 2020.  Two months later, the region was rocked when a dam system along Wixom and Sandford Lakes failed.  Midland County experienced the worst of the damage, and many homes were washed away.  National Guard units from Bay City, Saginaw and Port Huron responded to aid Midland County, as well as other aid workers and first responders.  Miraculously, there was no loss of life because of the quick response of Emergency Management order's to evacuate and the door-to-door notifications made by police, firefighters, and other first responders.