Villard Hotel Fire, January 20, 1949
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The City of Dickinson was peacefully at rest on the bitterly cold morning of January 20th, 1949. Overnight duties at the Villard Hotel were proceeding as normal. The three-story hotel, which stood in the 10 block of West Villard, near the former Greene Drug location, was only hours away from total ruin.
Shortly after two o’clock in the morning, a pastry chef at the Villard Hotel began to smell smoke coming from the basement of the hotel. It did not take long for the fire to quickly spread and engulf the basement.
Hotel guests, many clad in just pajamas, grabbed their belongings, and evacuated into the frigid temperatures outside. Of the 57 guests, one happened to be Trooper Hollis Dietz; a highway patrolman from Beach who was staying in town. Trooper Dietz, along with hotel employees, are credited with the quick and orderly evacuation of guests.
As the morning progressed, the fire continued to spread and worsen. The 20 below zero weather and strong northeast winds hampered firefighting efforts. Large sparks and flaming pieces of wood began landing on adjacent buildings, setting them ablaze. Fireman braved the dangers of treacherous, ice-covered roofs to suppress the flames and prevent further loss. Police Officer Matt Zabel and Joe Faller assisted in rescue and firefighting efforts through the morning.
The fire spread into the neighboring Schilla Hardware store. Gunpowder inside the store ignited, causing the front window to blast outwards. The John Ward restaurant, the Red Owl store, and upstairs offices and apartments also fell victim to the blaze. The fire wasn’t brought under control until 11 o’clock that morning.
Though damage estimates were estimated at almost a half-million (in 1949 standards), no one was killed or injured in one of Dickinson’s largest fires. This would not remain true, because almost a year later, another large fire nearly burnt downtown Dickinson to ashes.