Double-Alarm Fire Guts Poets' Theatre

A mid-morning fire yesterday destroyed the Poet's theater building just one block from Harvard Square. The two-alarm blaze brought firemen to the scene at 24-28 Palmer Street at 10:30 a.m., and the fire wasn't declared "all out" until almost six hours later.

Although official estimates are still unavailable, one preliminary figure puts the damage at over $30,000. The fire, which poured huge clouds of smoke over the Yard, completely gutted the Poets' Theater, Inc., and brought extensive damage to the Paul Schuster Art Gallery. Also destroyed John D. Hughes, Painters; Hayden, Inc., Painters; at the Workshop, T.F. Haley & Co.

The T.F. Haley Estate owned the building. Fire inspectors will determine today if the remaining shell will have be razed.

Crowds of four to five hundred braved the 15 degree whether as they swarmed around the fire area. Footing as slippery and treacherous with ice forming quickly on the street. At one point in the morning the crowd was doused jets of water when firemen fought the blaze from inside building.

Icicles hung from signs, trucks, and firemen's caps.

Large quantities of paint in the building caused special problems for the men. Intense heat and toxic fumes made work inside the building difficult. It took nearly two and half hours to get the fire under control. Two firemen, Ralph H. Underwood and Gerald M. Sears, suffered injuries. Underwood had a broken hand while Sears suffered from smoke inhalation.

Alan Fox, manager of the Poets' Theater, said that although "the whole place is gone, we are not going to quit. We have survived some pretty rough tragedies." The Theater lost all of its ing equipment, props, and records. The estimated the theater group's losses about $2,000, all uninsured.

Temporary Office

Fox asked all actors and subscribers get in touch with a temporary office at Mt. Auburn Street so that records could be re-established.

Gallery owner Paul Schuster said he don't know how much damage he had suffered. "Water damage probably ruined the paintings and drawings, but many items such as pottery, should be all right. I am going to have a fire sale in Harvard Square when I can get a place."

The T.F. Haley Estate owned the building. Fire inspectors will determine today if the remaining shell will have be razed.

Crowds of four to five hundred braved the 15 degree whether as they swarmed around the fire area. Footing as slippery and treacherous with ice forming quickly on the street. At one point in the morning the crowd was doused jets of water when firemen fought the blaze from inside building.

Icicles hung from signs, trucks, and firemen's caps.

Large quantities of paint in the building caused special problems for the men. Intense heat and toxic fumes made work inside the building difficult. It took nearly two and half hours to get the fire under control. Two firemen, Ralph H. Underwood and Gerald M. Sears, suffered injuries. Underwood had a broken hand while Sears suffered from smoke inhalation.

Alan Fox, manager of the Poets' Theater, said that although "the whole place is gone, we are not going to quit. We have survived some pretty rough tragedies." The Theater lost all of its ing equipment, props, and records. The estimated the theater group's losses about $2,000, all uninsured.

Temporary Office

Fox asked all actors and subscribers get in touch with a temporary office at Mt. Auburn Street so that records could be re-established.

Gallery owner Paul Schuster said he don't know how much damage he had suffered. "Water damage probably ruined the paintings and drawings, but many items such as pottery, should be all right. I am going to have a fire sale in Harvard Square when I can get a place."

Temporary Office

Fox asked all actors and subscribers get in touch with a temporary office at Mt. Auburn Street so that records could be re-established.

Gallery owner Paul Schuster said he don't know how much damage he had suffered. "Water damage probably ruined the paintings and drawings, but many items such as pottery, should be all right. I am going to have a fire sale in Harvard Square when I can get a place."