Steel Hotel Fire
by Barry Bauer
This photo was taken in the aftermath of the huge downtown fire in 1975 that destroyed the Steel Hotel on the N.W. corner of Higham St. and Clinton Ave. The fireman inside shoveling debris and water out the door looks like Bill Karber, owner of the Ranch Roller Rink, but that isn’t confirmed.
The tin ceiling above the fireman is drooped and buckled from the effects of the fire and the weight of the water pumped into the building to subdue the fire.