There was a large 2 story brick building at West 31st Street and Mermaid Avenue in the Coney Island. During the 1940's and 1950's, Ruby Kessler, a famed boxer of that time had a bar on the street level.

In the early 1970's the 2nd floor was used by a stationary company for storage. The area was about 50' x 75', with a high ceiling. The occupant, a stationary company, had large cartons containing combination Bic cigarette lighters and pens in packages.

There were probably thousands of cartons, stacked floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Someone noticed smoke coming from the Mermaid Avenue side of the building and pulled the fire alarm box.

Engine 318, the first due engine, announced "working fire". 318 took a hydrant on the Mermaid Avenue side, Engine 245, arriving 2nd due, took a hydrant on the West 31st Street side.

Ladder 166, the first due truck, took a position on Mermaid Avenue in front of the fire building and Ladder 161 came in behind 245. The first hand line was brought up the metal stairs in the rear, the door was forced, but the line could not be advanced due to the piled up cartons.

The second line could not make it up the stairs on the West 31st Street either.

It was to be a prolonged outside operation. Ladder pipes were set up on the Mermaid Avenue side of the building, as there were no windows on the West 31st Street side.

Even as the ladder pipes were pouring thousands of gallons of water per minute, the fire kept spreading from one carton to another, igniting the fuel in the lighters. The water from the ladder pipes could not get to the seat of the fire as it kept spreading.

After 2 days and a million gallons of water, the fire was extinguished. (Ray Lebowitz)

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Thanks, Ira Hoffman