Category: Fire

The Downey House Fire: Locals Rally Christmas Spirit in Defiance of Tragedy

Beneath a cheery holiday banner, Christmas Eve headlines of 1925, reported a local tragedy that took the lives of five young, volunteer firefighters and destroyed an iconic corner of Waynesburg’s business district. In spite of the devastation, residents rose up to help their neighbors, often at their own risk, in acts of heroism and generosity befitting the Christmas spirit.