In May 1923, a second major fire occurred at the American Briquet Plant in Wiconisco, near Lykens. The first fire took place in 1919, one month after the plant had first opened. That fire was believed to be of electrical origin. The plant was rebuilt and reopened early in 1920. Less than five years later, in May, 1923, the plant burned to the ground. This is the story of the fire that appeared in the Lykens Standard, May 11, 1923:
FIRE DESTROYED BRIQUET PLANT
One of the worst fires known in the history of this place occurred Monday morning at 3:30 when the American Briquet Plant, located north of Lykens, burned to the ground. The fire, when first discovered, was in the fan ducts, a channel where the heat is conveyed to the atmosphere after passing thru the driers. The driers is where the briquet is finished for market purposes. The channel was supposed to be fireproof.
Little time was lost by the employees at the plant in trying to control the blaze, but there efforts were fruitless as the frame building was oily and the flames spread rapidly to all sections. An alarm was sent to the fire companies at this place [Lykens] and Wiconisco and they responded but were hampered in fighting the blaze because of insufficient water pressure. Generally the pressure is high, but the pumps at the collieries company being idle nearly one was consumed before water was at its average pressure.
Dense clouds of smoke rolled skyward and the entire structure was soon a mass of flames. One by one the various sections caved in while Lykens and Wiconisco firemen fought the flames until 10 o’clock Monday morning, when a mass of ruin was left smoldering in what was the worst fire Lykens and Wiconisco witnessed in years.
The loss of the plant is estimated at $400,000 mostly covered by insurance. The plant employed 55 men, one-third of whom were at work when the plant caught fire. The company was working full capacity, three shifts, and had an average output of 8000 tons monthly.
The plant was completed and started operations November 15, 1919. Since that time several fires occurred there, the worst being on November 4, 1919, when the loss was estimated at $30,000.
Beside the building, 16 large motors of about 50 horsepower and 18 five-horsepower motors, two large pressers and five carloads of cornstarch which was used in the manufacture of the briquet and received at the plant the latter part of last week were consumed in the flames.
According to information received yesterday the American Briquet Plant, whose headquarters are in Philadelphia, will begin construction of another fire proof plant at the same site within the course of the next months.
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Article from Newspapers.com.
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