“The fire as seen from many downtown buildings afforded a spectacular sight seldom if ever equaled by any previous blaze in the history of the city. Thousands of persons standing on roofs or looking from office windows could see the flames leap more than 100 feet from the top of the warehouse building, licking in between the gigantic billows of black smoke that poured in unbelievable volume from windows and walls.” —Buffalo Evening News, March 9, 1954

Fire engulfed the Larkin P Building, 696 Exchange Street, on March 8, 1954. Beneath the orange glow of the engulfed warehouse, 400 firefighters battled the blaze with ice-covered hoses, thousands of spectators looked on in amazement, and a WBEN-TV helicopter swirled above, aiming for the perfect shot. Bison Waste & Wiper Co., manufacturer of wiping cloths, had filled the 158,000-square-foot former Larkin warehouse with flammable rags, rubber, paper, and cotton. The sprinkler system had been temporarily turned off, and sparks from a welder’s torch ignited tar paper in a third-story ceiling. After the fire was kindled, it wasn’t long before it reached every floor. In spite of the presence of 90 Bison employees at its outset, no lives were lost. The structural integrity of the Larkin P Building was never compromised. Its contents burned, but the building did not. The warehouse constructed in 1908 under John D. Larkin’s fireproof construction policy stood for another seven years. It was abandoned by Bison Waste & Wiper and ultimately demolished by the city in 1961.

Image courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum. Used by permission.