Entire Leesburg Fire Department Almost Wiped-Out by Explosion - October 27, 1903

The following account is an excerpt from our book "The Lost History of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company and the Fire Service in Loudoun County, Virginia 1803-1925". 

The first of two large storage tanks for the Standard Oil Company’s new storage facility had arrived in Leesburg in early March, 1897. Standard Oil had been using the railroad to transport barrels of fuel oil and gasoline to its Leesburg facility. In order to save freight, time and labor, the product would soon arrive in tank cars and then be transferred to the storage tanks. This new facility was located along the railroad tracks beside the freight depot within the corporate limits Leesburg, and would serve as a distribution point for dealers throughout Loudoun and Fairfax Counties. This particular tank was to be used for the storage of kerosene and had a capacity of fifteen thousand gallons.

In the five years since the big 1898 mill fire, the Leesburg Firemen had handled several large fires and a few smaller ones around Town. Most of those were burned out chimneys and some were even extinguished by a salesman with a fire extinguisher. On Tuesday, October 27, 1903, the Leesburg Fire Department fought its biggest fire to date, when the Standard Oil Company’s tank farm caught fire.

There were two accounts of how the fire started. What is known is that at about half past four that morning, Mr. Lynch, the superintendent of the fuel depot, arrived for work with his lantern. The first account reported that, while doing some work inside the building, the lantern somehow exploded and the woodwork, being saturated with oil, soon ignited. Mr. Lynch was dazed but soon was able to escape through a window. He next went to a house nearby, got an ax, broke open the stable and took the horses to a place of safety.

The second account reported that Superintendent Lynch proceeded to one of the tanks for the purpose of drawing oil. He carried a lighted lantern, and by some accident the contents of the tank became ignited and an explosion followed.  The other tank also caught fire and both were soon roaring fiercely, lighting up the town. At this point, two very large tanks of flammable liquid at the Standard Oil Company’s distributing plant were now burning out of control. Regardless of what exactly started the fire, the result was a very dangerous conflagration that threatened the citizens and the Town.

Soon after the ignition, at about five o’clock, the people of Leesburg were awakened by the distress whistle of the locomotive at the depot, followed by the ringing of the fire bells. They soon discovered that the two tanks were on fire; the oil tank contained about twelve thousand gallons and the gasoline tank about seven thousand gallons. The great volume of smoke and heavy fire made it clear the plant could not be saved, so the efforts of the Fire Department were directed at protecting the adjoining buildings. The heat and flames were intense and threatened to spread to nearby buildings. If this was allowed to happen, the entire town would be in danger.

The firemen poured water onto the large warehouse and elevator of the Tuscarora Mill which were only a few feet from the facility. The buildings caught fire several times but were quickly extinguished. In addition, the lumber yards of Schroff & Co. were also in danger of being consumed. The firemen on the hose line had to know that they were in danger. The men probably moved further away from the tanks and re-positioned behind some buildings, hoping to shield themselves from the explosion that was sure to come. They continued to pour on the water and wait…

The newspaper described what happened next: 

    Fortunately at the time of the explosion, some of the firemen were protected by adjoining buildings. The force of the explosion sent a flame of fire and a dense volume of smoke up in the air over a hundred feet. Had the explosion been in a lateral direction, lives would have been lost and the extent of damage to property cannot be estimated. To those who had the nerve not to run and hide, the scene was one of sublimity. A vast cloud of ominous looking smoke spread over the heavens, flashes of flame lit up the surrounding country, making discernible objects at a great distance. We are told that many citizens in the neighboring towns saw the spectacle and wondered at the cause. The people of Leesburg can congratulate themselves that there was no other loss than the property of the company.

“Those who had the nerve not to run and hide” aptly described the firemen who stood steadfast in their commitment to save the surrounding buildings and the Town. They had survived the deadly blast; which was seen for miles around as it lit up the early morning darkness, and had earned the praise and respect of the citizens of Leesburg. The total loss was estimated at only $5,000.00, a much smaller amount than it could have been.

The Town realized just how close it had come to suffering a major disaster and later that day, the Town Council met in special session to address the fire. The meeting minute’s show that they were very concerned with the fact that the Town was nearly wiped out by the fire and on motion of Councilman P. F. Shoff, the following resolution was passed –

    Whereas a fire originating on premises occupied by Standard Oil Co. destroying their oil tanks, occurred early this morning greatly endangering the surrounding property, and calling the attention of the people to the danger of the community in having such large quantities of highly inflammable oils and products of same stored so near to numerous other buildings.

   Resolved that the tanks of said Standard Oil Co. are a nuisance to the other property of the Town and that under section #28 of the codified laws of this corporation, the Council is prohibited from granting privilege to said Standard Oil Co. to rebuild said storage warehouse or tanks within the corporate limits of said Town.

The Council, under the authority of regulating the protection of property and the abatement of nuisances, had wisely passed an ordinance prohibiting the erection of so dangerous a plant with in the corporate limits.

Over a year and half later, the Standard Oil Company’s burned out and collapsed tanks were still lying near the depot where they fell. There was probably residual fuel oil and other products mixed with rain water in the rusted hulks creating a dangerous situation. In addition to the chemicals, there would also have been sharp edges and debris waiting to fall. On August 8, 1904, the Town Council met and addressed the complaints that the ruins of the Standard Oil Company tanks were in a dangerous condition and considered unsafe. The Town Sergeant was instructed to notify the Standard Oil Company that the tanks would have to be removed. It took some time, but eventually the debris was cleaned up. In fact, the facility was rebuilt near its original location but just outside of the Town limits.