Fire Threatens Lees Cross Roads

November 3, 1916 at 10:00 p.m., Lees Cross Roads, Southampton Cumberland. A fire of undetermined origin destroyed a 2-1/2-story frame and brick house. The blaze began in a first floor poolroom and extended rapidly. A bucket brigade of over 100 men and women from the village battled the blaze. When it was feared the village would be lost assistance was requested from Shippensburg, Newville and Carlisle. The Cumberland Valley Hose Company attached their American LaFrance chemical wagon to an automobile and rushed to the village. The Newville Company did not respond due to the lack of water in the area for their new motorized fire engine and Carlisle was notified before leaving their station that there assistance was no longer needed. A civilian was overcome by smoke. Damages were estimated at $3,000.

It would be four more years before the Shippensburg Fire Department got motorized equipment. Because of the lack of support from town council and the borough Burgess the SFD was always behind the times in equipment, until the companies began purchasing themselves. The Friendship Hose of Newville had just gone motorized shortly before this fire.

Can you imagine this chemical wagon being pulled behind a car the whole way to Leesburg. The SFD never had horses, when the CV's had a run the men would pull this wagon to the scene.