"No cause has yet been determined for a stubborn blaze which broke out in a house at 16 John Street East in Bradford last Tuesday. The Bradford Fire Department was called out at about 4 pm to quell the blaze which broke out in a back apartment, occupied by Dick Gullinger. Fire Chief Harold Boyd said the whole apartment was in flamed by the time the firefighters arrived on the scene, and there was no hope of saving it. The back wall of the house was also badly damaged, and thick smoke made the rest of the house uninhabitable for the occupants of the other two apartments, John Faria Jr., and Louis Dasiba. "It was a tough one to put out," Chief Boyd said, explaining there were many false ceilings in the old house which had to be torn away to get at the flames. The chief estimated it took about three hours to put the fire out. The occupants managed to remove most of their belongings during the blaze, and there were no injuries. There has been no estimate of damage."
"Bradford's fire siren apparently is not in working order, and the old bell, which used to cause a big alarm, now gives only a faint tinkle, and the few who do hear it, hear so little they are seldom sure just what they head. all in all, our fire alarm system is not alarming. Saturday firement had to attend Kapisak's vegetable booth when fire cause considerable damage. had it not been for the sire on the fire truck it is doubtful if even the main street business people would have known there was a fire. Most of us are interested enough in the fate which befalls the other and want to lend a helping hand if fire is destroying a friend's property and would therefore encourage the idea of the repair or replacement of the fire siren."
"The new fire alarm siren has been installed and some time Friday evening an alarm will be sounded to test the system and also the response of the firemen to the new alarm. The brigade will hold a meeting during the evening to discuss general business."
An undated photo found in the Bradford Witness of Holland Street prior to the 1959 fire which destroyed some of these businesses. The two buildings on the left of the photo were damaged by fire, with the far left one completely destroyed.
The Canadian Bank of Commerce prior to the 1959 fire on Holland Street West. This building was saved due to its fire wall on the left of the photograph.
