Life Lost In Sherman Fire | Grayson County, TXGenWeb

The Whitewright Sun
February 1, 1918
pg. 1

ONE LIFE LOST IN SHERMAN FIRE

Sherman, Tex., Jan. 28 – Fire which originated about midnight last night and burned until nearly daylight this morning destroyed the large barn located at No. 116-122 West Pecan street, owned by Judge Silas Hare and occupied by the Sherman Transfer & Livery Company.
Fritz Landers, 32 years of age, was burned to death and Lon Langham was seriously burned in trying to leave the barn.

The property loss will amount to between $40,000 and $50,000 partly covered by insurance.

The fire department responded promptly to an alarm, but had great difficulty in getting the water started on account of the frozen condition of the fire plugs.

Soon after arriving at the barn the voice of Lon Langham was heard in the rear of the building, and the firemen, protected by a stream of water, made a heroic effort to get to him, finally finding him and bringing him out of the building, which was almost a sheet of flames. He is seriously burned and is in a critical condition. Firemen then climbed to the window of the room known to have been occupied by Fritz Landers, and saw through the window that he was not in his bed, although the bed showed signs of having been slept in. They made heroic effort to get into the building, but it was an inferno of heat and blaze, and no human could stand the heat.

Several horses were burned, the exact number not being known, as many of the animals rescued from the building have not been found.
Shortly after 8 o’clock the body of Fritz Landers was found in the rear of the building, burned to a char and under a large pile of brick. It took nearly an hour to get the body out, which was turned over to Haynes and Sporer.

Landers slept up-stairs in the front of the building, and Langham slept on the same floor in the rear. From where the body of Landers was found it is thought he went to the rear of the building to awaken Langham. Langham had succeeded in getting down-stairs, and when rescued was in the front part of the building. He had fallen and had it not been for the heroic work of the firemen, who risked being burned to death, he also would have burned, as he was down and was overcome by the smoke and heat, and was badly scorched and blistered.

Among the property loss was nearly 100 sewing machines, stored in the building only a few days ago.