50th anniversary of devastating fire in downtown Louisa

By Roberta Cantrell

BSN Editor

How many of you remember what you were doing 50 years ago on Friday, Oct. 25, 1974?

I was sitting in Virginia Salmons third grade classroom in Louisa Elementary School (now Louisa West Elementary).

It’s a day I will never forget, we had just finished lunch and had gotten well into our afternoon routine when we heard a horrific boom followed by more booms. The school building shook and as we looked out our classroom windows that faced toward town the billows of rolling black smoke seemed to be swallowing our town.

I remember the panic that took over our class. Then I remember hearing screams coming from up and down the hallway and teachers trying to get back control of students who were in sheer panic.

We would later find out that a train had struck a gas tanker truck causing a huge explosion. I remember our Principal, Mr. King calling all students to the playground to explain to us that our parents would be coming to get us and that until then we were all safe at the school.

Meanwhile in town, a Johnson County man had met his doom at a young age of 37 while he was eating his lunch in his Pepsi Cola delivery truck near the train tracks when the wreck causing the huge explosions happened. Alton Fairchild was parked parallel with the tracks near the corner of Jefferson and Madison within a few feet from the core of the explosion when it occurred around 11:40 p.m.

The Louisa Police Chief during that time was Dempsey Bradley who reported the incident happened when a tanker truck driven by Bob Colvin of See Section in Louisa, was split apart by a Chessie System engine pulling 120 loaded coal cars.

About 6,000 gallons of gasoline sprayed the area rocking the city with several explosions, before erupting into flames.

Colvin managed to escape with minor injuries while the train engineer Robert Rutherford, 30, of Flatwoods escaped injury by lying on the floor of his cab.

The Big Sandy News reported in its Oct. 31 edition that the engine was “ringed by fire as it hauled through town coming to a rest a few blocks from the crossing.” It was reported that flames had leaped also into several of the loaded coal hoppers, which blocked the crossing causing several problems for firefighters.

According to the Louisa Fire Chief at that time it took more than 50 Louisa volunteer firefighters along with crews from Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Van Lear, Catlettsburg, Ceredo-Kenova and Fort Gay to try and fight the blaze that leaped as high as 80 feet.

Gay said fighting gasoline fires is almost impossible and noted the main problem was the lack of water pressure, however, Gay said he attributed foam brought in by Ashland Oil and Kentucky Power Company, assisted in keeping the blaze cool.

Many businesses were gutted and ruined including the train depot that included Coleman Perry’s office, a three-story empty building owned by Ollie Carter, Dotson’s Barbershop and Walker’s Market.

Sear’s Catalogue shop reported heat damage as well as the Louisa Department Store.

Three parked cars belonging to Paul Fannin and Byron Young of Louisa and Billy McKenzie of Catlettsburg were destroyed.

Ed Blankenship, a school bus driver, who also worked during the day at Norman Pack’s service station at the crossing witnessed the accident that occurred that day.

“The way it looked to me, and I was right at it, I could hear the train but I couldn’t tell if it whistled or if the light was burning at the crossing,” said Blankenship. “The boy (Colvin) pulled up there, put his brakes on and come to a stop, and his load pushed him on a little, you know, and he changed gears and went right on.”

Blankenship said the explosions seemed to go north up the track and said as he ran across a sewer manhole at the post office, he could feel the booms of explosions underneath his feet.

Perry, from the train depot was putting money in the parking meter for a visitor before going into his office when the blast occurred throwing him into the meter and onto the sidewalk. He told the Big Sandy News that the blast came in the form of a terrific heat that it pushed him away from the blaze and that he even jerked his jacket off thinking it was on fire.

Jerry Dotson was cutting hair in the barbershop and that part of the building was apparently saved from the gasoline by the Pepsi Cola truck that was parked there.

“I was cutting a kid’s hair when I heard a thud,” said Dotson. “I looked up and saw fire coming. You’ve heard of rolling thunder? This was rolling fire.”

In the shop were Frank Painter and three Gilliam children.

Dotson said Painter stood up and said “Lord, have mercy” just before they all ran out the back door feeling the heat but escaping injury.

This fiery nightmare lasted about three hours in the quiet town of Louisa and fire damages reached almost $700,000. You can imagine what that kind of loss was like in 1974 and what the cost would be in 2024.

A special thank you to Fred Jones who provided The Big Sandy News with the photos.