Fire which was discovered in the basement of the two story brick building at 304 W. Main Street destroyed a photographer’s studio and resulted in smoke damage to the City Cleaner in the same building. The fire was confined to the studio room on the first floor. A youth asleep in a bedroom behind the studio and members of three families in apartments upstairs fled from the building and escaped injury. The blaze originated in the basement over the furnace. Several joists supporting the first floor were burned and the flames burned through the floor into the studio where photographic equipment, supplies and fixtures were destroyed. Firemen wearing smoke masks presented to the department by the Lions Club entered the burning building and were able to fight the flames at close range, preventing the fire from spreading. Donald E. Holt who was asleep in the studio was aroused in time to escape the flames. Occupants of the second floor apartments made their way down the stairs to safety. The apartments were occupied by Mrs. Lydia Vick, Mrs. Elsie Smith and the family of M.R. Groves. The building is owned by Mr. and Mrs. V.G. Buckner who were unable to give an immediate estimate of the damage which will run into hundreds of dollars. The photographic studio, the Artcraft Studio, is owned by D.R. Lawrence of Mt. Vernon who also operates studios in Mt. Vernon and Paducah, Ky.

(Extracted  from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )