Fire ravages Solons’ home in 1948

July 12, 1948: A spectacular flash fire, which was discovered shortly before midnight, destroyed Edmonds Filed, the home park of the Pacific Coast League’s Sacramento Solons, and three houses to the south of Riverside Boulevard.

Yubi Separovich, general manager and co-owner of the club, estimated the loss at nearly $1 million, declaring this amount would be necessary to replace the grandstand, bleachers and general equipment. He said the insurance on the property amounts to only $250,000.

Officials of the fire department reported the loss resulting from the damage to the nearby dwelling and an automobile will total at least an additional $35,000.

Six persons, including Fire Chief Terence Mulligan, were treated at the emergency hospital for either burns or injuries suffered during the fire.

A solid sheet of flame swept skyward from the main grandstand less than half an hour after the fire was discovered at 11:40 o’clock last night.

Flying embers from the main structures at the west end of the nine-acre field ignited bleachers, office buildings, night lighting equipment and three dwellings.

Only a small section of the bleachers at the extreme east end of the park remained standing after the fire was extinguished.

The concrete ramp at the entrance to the grandstands provided firemen with a firm foundation from which to pour tons of water into the flaming stands.

As the flames shot upward the entire section of the city in the vicinity of Broadway and Riverside Boulevard was as light as day for more than an hour. Thousands of persons watched more than 200 firemen and volunteers fight the scorching blaze.

Bert Vaughn

This story was originally published July 11, 2017 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Fire ravages Solons’ home in 1948."