Item 2016-12-09-01 - Bradford Disaster

The following photos were part of a News-photo story about the fire in Bradford in 1988. The first photo's caption reads: "Possible electrical trouble is the suspected cause of Thursday's $3 million fire in Bradford. Al Nosworthy, of the Ontario Fire Marshall's office, says materials recovered from the blaze will be forwarded to the Canadian Standards Association for detailed examination. "We are satisfied it wasn't arson," Nosworthy said yesterday, adding that some wiring may have possibly shorted out. "When the flames started, they went high in the walls, above the sprinkler system and up on the roof where they were fanned by strong north-east winds." The building was about 40 years old and used to be an ice house before it was used for storage. Wooden chips were used as insulation in parts of the structure. Nosworthy said insurance representatives have been through the remains but said they may not be able to put an exact dollar figure on the damage. "We may never really know." "