Looking back: Massive arson fire in Pocatello injures firefighters, destroys ‘landmark structure’
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IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
BLACKFOOT — A “well-known cowboy” and “bronchobuster” died, the Blackfoot Idaho Republican reported on Jan. 27, 1905.
The local paper said it didn’t know how Pete Hunt died but “people all over this part of the state will learn with regret that this hero of the saddle is no more.” The article said he died at Tilden and was “probably” 45 years old.
“(He) has ridden more wild horses and roped more fighting steers than any other character among the cow-men of eastern Idaho,” the article reads.
It continued, “Next to Indian trailers, he knew the big desert the best, and was probably the only living white man who could guide a party into the great pasture and the cold spring enclosed by the weird lava beds in the central part of the desert south of the Big Butte.”
1926-1950
ROBERTS — Rats were “doing good” on a muskrat farm north of Roberts, The Rigby Star reported on Jan. 26, 1928.
Elmer Taylor and James Brown told the paper that everything was “progressing nicely.” They had a farm fenced with wire to keep the rats corralled and “made many improvements” to “make the animals feel at home.”
“A stream of water runs from springs on the farm and the boys have built house boxes in compartments of six, consisting of nest boxes, living quarters with a runway, piped to the feeding boxes which are located in the spring water,” the paper explained.
The article said because of that, the rats “go and come to feed in the water as they do in their natural surroundings.”
“The boys have several hundred rats of excellent quality, feeding them alfalfa leaves, beets and carrots, and the animals seem as content as in ideal natural haunts,” the paper said.
1951-1975
MENAN — There were sightings of two “large wild cats” on the river northwest of Menan, The Rigby Star reported on Jan. 25, 1951.
Walt Eschler said the cats walked out on the ice before seeing him and then turned and slowly walked away.
“He stated the cats were large and possessed heavy coats of fur,” the article mentioned.
1976-2000
POCATELLO — A fire in Pocatello injured three firefighters and destroyed a city landmark, the Idaho State Journal reported on Jan. 25, 1977.
About 60 Pocatello firefighters “struggled through the night” in below-freezing temperatures to control a fire that heavily damaged the Dietrich Building at Center and Arthur Streets in the “heart of the downtown business district.”
The “all-night arson-caused blaze” sent three firefighters to the hospital. Lt. John Norton was listed in stable condition at Bannock Memorial Hospital with a fractured back. Norton slipped and fell on the ice formed by thousands of gallons of water “pumped on the fire.”
Fire Chief Hal Call reportedly broke his hand in a similar fall, and firefighter Glen Adams suffered smoke inhalation. He was listed in fair condition at St. Anthony Community Hospital.
The fire was reported by two city detectives around 8:30 p.m. Monday. Witnesses said they didn’t see anyone around the building until the detectives arrived.
Vern Harris, a city detective, said he found a door knob on the inside of a flower shop and the dead bolt lock mechanism on the ground outside. He said the door was “standing open” about 2.5 inches. Heavy smoke prevented the detectives from going inside.
Call said the fire was the “nearest thing to a general alarm fire Pocatello will ever see.” He had every available “fire unit and man” at the blaze.
“The blaze flared through the more than 70-year-old structure as fireman continued their battle against many dead air spaces, which helped spread the flames,” the paper explained.
For about three hours, citizen volunteers carried furniture, files and equipment from the burning building to banking and insurance offices across the street.
Several firemen were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but stayed “to continue the fight.”
“The landmark structure originally contained three buildings but a remodeling in 1937 connected the structures from Arthur Street to the alley on the 300 block of West Center,” the article mentioned. “The building was named after Judge Frank Dietrich who purchased it in 1905. Throughout the years, it has been the home of many Pocatello businesses.”
Call would not guess how much damage was done money-wise to the structure, other than telling the Journal “it’s extensive.”
As of the date the article was published, no warrants had been issued or arrests made, but local police reportedly had a suspect.