Furnace Explodes Causing Fire

On September 28, 1940 at 4:00 p.m. firemen were sent to 301 North Prince Street for a basement fire. A gas explosion in a furnace caused a fire that damaged a basement and destroyed the kitchen floor. Firemen had to use masks to enter the basement. Damages were estimated at $500. The Vigilant Hose and Cumberland Valley Hose companies battled the blaze. The Mechanicsburg-Shippensburg High School football game was ending as the alarm sounded and most of the spectators rushed to the scene to watch (the school was at Prince and Burd Streets at the time).