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25-592: The Great Chelsea fire of 1908 , also known as the first Great Chelsea fire , was a conflagration that occurred on April 12, 1908, in Chelsea, Massachusetts , a city directly across the Chelsea River from East Boston . Nineteen people were killed, 15,000 were left homeless, and 350 acres (140 ha) were burned in the fire. The fire started 200 yards (180 m) away from the Great Chelsea fire of 1973 . According to

50-432: A firestorm , in which the central column of rising heated air induces strong inward winds, which supply oxygen to the fire. Conflagrations can cause casualties including deaths or injuries from burns , trauma due to collapse of structures and attempts to escape, and smoke inhalation . Firefighting is the practice of extinguishing a conflagration, protecting life and property and minimizing damage and injury. One of

75-548: A call from the relief committee, hundreds of automobiles offered their services in delivering goods to the homeless, and the relief work was greatly aided by this means. 42°23′49.32″N 71°2′38.78″W  /  42.3970333°N 71.0441056°W  / 42.3970333; -71.0441056 Conflagration A conflagration is a large fire . Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally or be intentionally created ( arson ). A very large fire can produce

100-467: A fire. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common systemic toxicity after smoke inhalation, and can cause organ failure from lack of oxygen (often heart attack ). Carbon monoxide is a common byproduct of combusting substances in fires and is colorless and odorless. It has a much higher binding affinity for hemoglobin compared to oxygen and thus can block oxygen from binding to hemoglobin , causing hypoxia . Additionally, carbon monoxide decreases

125-647: A short time traveled across the city and was stopped only by the (this had to be the Chelsea River (aka Chelsea Creek), as the Mystic River is on the Southwestern side of the city, closer to Everett. The Chelsea River/Creek separates Chelsea from East Boston, and the Meridian St. Bridge is essentially where the river opens to the harbor.) Mystic River at the East Boston line. Almost the entire business section along Broadway

150-529: A summary of the fire at the time: On Sunday April 12 1908, at about 11 in the morning, an alarm was rung for a fire in the works of the Boston Blacking Company on West 3rd Street, near the Everett line. The fire department responded immediately, and quickly succeeded in putting the fire out with little damage, but the forty-mile gale that was blowing at the time carried sparks to nearby houses, and soon all

175-786: Is a relatively delayed complication of smoke inhalation injury caused by chemical fumes inducing an inflammatory response in the lung tissue, especially the small air sacs known as alveoli where critical gas exchange occurs. Another potential complication is swelling of the upper airway from both heat and chemical damage, and can become profound enough to obstruct breathing. The onset of airway swelling can be relatively delayed making it difficult to intubate later on, thus endotracheal intubation should be considered early in certain patients. Other possible complications include pneumonia, vocal cord damage and/or dysfunction, and tracheal stenosis (usually delayed). Inhalation of chemical toxins produced by combusting materials can cause damage to tissues of both

200-446: Is initially treated with high flow 100% oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be considered but there are differing views on its clinical benefit in terms of outcomes. Products with systemic effects are mainly asphyxiating gases, such as carbon monoxide and cyanides. Carbon monoxide (СО), which is absorbed by the lungs, diffuses into the capillaries and dissolves in the plasma and erythrocytes, binding to haemoglobin. As its affinity

225-489: Is more than 200 times that of oxygen, the amount of oxygen bound to haemoglobin is reduced, leading to anoxia. In addition, carbon monoxide released at the tissue level binds to mitochondrial enzyme systems, resulting in the inability of cells to utilise oxygen. When exposed to excess CO, one of the body's natural reactions is to breathe faster. This further increases the CO level in the blood, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. Once

250-509: The United States that were caused by a fire fluctuated over the past 10 years. The administration recorded the increase of deaths between 2012 and 2021, and concluded an increase of 18% per million. Smoke inhalation injury is the most common cause of death in fire victims. Fire victims with both burns to their body and smoke inhalation injury have increased mortality rate and length of hospital stay compared to those with burns alone. Some of

275-462: The ability of oxygen to dissociate from hemoglobin to diffuse into tissues, thus causing hypoxia. According to the New York Times , a recent study claims that smoke inhalation can also cause lung cancer . While cigarettes are proven to cause cancer, as well as inhaling second hand smoke from a cigarette, the article notes that a cigarette is filtered. In contrast, inhaling wild fire smoke due to

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300-403: The age group with the highest injury rate is people of ages 50–54. Some reports also show increased rates of death and injury in children, due to their lower physical and mental capabilities. In 2019, the overall U.S. national fire death rate was 10.7 people per million population and the injury rate was 50.6 people per million population. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the deaths in

325-751: The airways ( pulmonary hygiene ), and other supportive measures. Intravenous fluids are a mainstay in treatment of fire victims with extensive burns to the body, however, there are differing perspectives on the risks/benefits of IV fluids in fire victims with both burns and smoke inhalation injury due to the potential worsening of pulmonary edema with large amounts of IV fluids typically given in burn victims. Other treatments with differing perspectives and study findings on utility in smoke inhalation injury include nebulized bronchodilators (such as beta-2-agonists ), IV corticosteroids , nebulized corticosteroids , nebulized epinephrine , nebulized heparin , and nebulized N-acetylcysteine . Carbon monoxide poisoning

350-468: The fire grows into a firestorm . Inside a building, the intensity of gas exchange depends on the size and location of openings in walls and floors, the ceiling height, and the amount and characteristics of the combustible materials . Smoke inhalation The U.S. Fire Administration reported almost 1.3 million fires in 2019 causing 3,704 deaths and almost 17,000 injuries. Residential fires were found to be most often cooking related and resulted in

375-572: The fire spread quickly. Relief funds were generated from all over the country, with many of the cities and towns in Massachusetts giving substantial amounts for the stricken city. Within two weeks after the fire, the relief committee had received about $ 300,000, with many more thousands given directly by employers of the burnt-out families, and by fraternal organizations such as Knights of Columbus , Knights of Pythias , Odd Fellows , Elks , and Eagles . The committee immediately opened relief stations at

400-522: The frame buildings in the vicinity were ablaze. The fire then traveled quickly in an easterly direction, and despite the best efforts of the department, was soon beyond control. Aid was called-in from nearby cities, but even the much larger fighting force was unable to cope with the fire, and could only attempt to keep it within certain limits. So intense was the heat of the fire that buildings made of solid granite crumbled, and were entirely destroyed. The fire could not be checked in its easterly course, and in

425-413: The goals of fire prevention is to avoid conflagrations. When a conflagration is extinguished, there is often a fire investigation to determine the cause of the fire. During a conflagration a significant movement of air and combustion products occurs. Hot gaseous products of combustion move upward, causing the influx of more dense cold air to the combustion zone. Sometimes, the influx is so intense that

450-427: The harmful substances found in the air. For example, smoke from burning trees and gardens will present different dangers than smoke from burning houses, cars or electronics. A study published in 2019 recorded firefighters who worked for 25 years, an average of 7 weeks per year, increase their risk of lung cancer by 8 to 26 percent due to the amount of smoke they have been exposed to on duty. First responders often take

475-421: The highest amount of deaths when compared to other fire types such as vehicle and outdoor fires. It has been found that men have higher rates of fire-related death and injury than women do, and that African American and American Indian men have higher rates of fire-related death and injury than other ethnic and racial groups. The age group with the highest rate of death from smoke inhalation is people over 85, while

500-577: The lungs), bronchoconstriction , activation of the coagulation cascade , and impaired function of the mucociliary escalator . Inhalation of hot fumes can cause thermal damage to tissues, usually limited to the upper respiratory tract (above larynx). Damage in this location can result in sloughing of the damaged tissue and swelling, both of which can cause obstruction of the respiratory tract, ulceration, increased secretions, and redness ( erythema ). Systemic toxicity can occur from inhalation of chemical compounds produced as byproducts of combustion in

525-477: The new High School building and at Lincoln Hall, and thousands were fed at these two places daily. By Tuesday April 14th, great quantities of clothing had been received for distribution, and a receiving station was established at Boston where contributions of household goods could be gathered. On Wednesday, a large number of people were furnished with cooking utensils and mattresses, and by Saturday thousands of sets of bed-clothing had been distributed. In response to

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550-618: The signs and symptoms of smoke inhalation injury include recent fire exposure followed by cough, wheezing, stridor, confusion, difficulty breathing, low oxygen saturation, smoke debris (especially on face and/or in saliva), burns (especially of the face), singed facial or nose hairs, and/or hoarse voice. A careful history can be helpful in determining where the fire occurred and therefore, what chemical fumes could have been inhaled with accompanying systemic toxicities. Smoke inhalation injury can lead to respiratory complications ranging from minor to major. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

575-429: The upper (above larynx) and lower respiratory tract (below larynx). Damage to lower airways, air sacs, and lung tissue is due to an inflammatory cascade in response to the noxious chemicals which causes a variety of downstream effects such as increased secretions and exudative material thus clogging the airways and/or air sacs, collapse of air sacs ( atelectasis ), vascular permeability leading to pulmonary edema (fluid in

600-634: The victim away from the fire and smoke, give 100% oxygen at high flow through a face mask (non-rebreather if available), assess level of consciousness, and check the victim for burns and/or injuries to the body for initial care. Upper respiratory tract injury due to heat exposure often results in swelling. Intubation should be considered early given that the swelling can have a slow, delayed onset but once present, will make intubation very difficult. Lower respiratory tract injury due to exposure to noxious fumes often consists of supportive measures such as intubation and ventilator support if indicated, suctioning of

625-577: Was destroyed by the fire, with the northern boundary being the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks, and the southern boundary being Chelsea Square. Among the more prominent public buildings that were destroyed include the City Hall, YMCA, Odd Fellows, and Chelsea Savings Bank buildings. About eight schools and a dozen churches were burnt down. The total number of buildings destroyed was about 1500, and between 10,000 to 12,000 people were rendered homeless. News about

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