Disaster In Ithaca

[John Burke]

Two nights ago, about 12:30 a.m., my brother in law got a phone call that the building he owned in town (Ithaca) was going up in smoke. It ended up as a pile of tin. He had many old, 1928-1948, vintage ford cars stored in it as well as tons of rare parts. Neddless to say he was devastated...Not the best holiday for him....Our local car club is going to help pull everything out and he says he is going to auction what there is off after January...Maybe somone will want a 36 cabroliet for yard art. I relly feel for him cause it happened to me 10 years ago...jb

[greg g]

Having had a tour of that building 2 years ago, I can attest to the nature and value of the goodies stored there. A lot of history was in that building.

What a shame. Glad no one was injured in the fire.

Make sure everyone is carefull sorting though the remains.Perhaps more will be salvagable then meets the eye.

Good luck.

[Young Ed]

Sad day for sure. Hate to see anything bad happen to old cars. Even fords

[randroid]

John,

I would feel at liberty speaking for everyone here when I try to put into words what such a loss would mean, but there are no words to express such a loss. We all feel the pain.

-Randy

(Just got a PM from another member suggesting they could be hammered-out.)

[rolliejoe]

very sad

[Plymouthy Adams]

that is everyone's worst nightmare..what a loss..my bud sent me pictures of the California forest fires and the Porshes his brother lost along with some rather nice collectible old VW's..cars are not covered under property insurance..at least I was told that if I had a car in the garage and the house went up in smoke..only the comprehesive insurance would pay the car..so that is a policy that has to be in effect

[Dennis Hemingway]

There are no words to express such a loss. We all feel the pain. A very sad day.

Dennis:(

[Niel Hoback]

Knowing how I feel about my one little old car, I cannot imagine the frustration and sadness he must be going through. He has my deepest sympathy. It really is like losing friends or even family. Maybe after a while he will feel more like reassesing the situation and not be too quick to sell.

[Don Coatney]

So sorry to hear of the loss. Dealing with insurance companies after such a disaster is no fun.

[BobT-47P15]

Man, what a bummer.

Hate to see that happen to anyone.

Maybe some items could be save-able.

Probably no coverage for cars and parts, even if the building was

insured.

[Jim Yergin]

That is so sad. Do they know what caused the fire? Is there something we can all learn to try and prevent it from happening to us?

Jim Yergin

[PatS....]

That's just heartbreaking...I'm glad no one was hurt.

As far as what we can do to prevent fire, this heartbreaker was caused by a battery blowing up while being boosted.

You just never know...

http://www.freiburgersjunkyard.com/blog/A-Sad-Public-Announcement-Fire-is-Not-Good.html

[old woolie]

That's a big loss. Glad there were no injuries or casualties.

[John Burke]

for the cocern fella's...I'll pass them on to my BIL...he is feeling better about i9t now and I'm sure your thoughts will mean a lot to him....John

[maurice wade]

It's so sad to see any old car go up in flames. These auto's are very hard to replace when lost,stolen, or damaged. It's like loosing a part of yourself when something like this happens. I remember when I was a young lad I used to go by and visit a man who had a 37 Plymouth he kept in a feed store. The car was all original, and very beautiful. I decided one day to stop by to look at the car. The store was burned to the ground, and their was the Plymouth nothing but a rusted hull. Hard to believe. I was as devastated as the owner was. I have full coverage insurance on my P-15. I don't like paying the price for it but it is something I feel I must have. I hope your Buddy is feeling better. M

[BobT-47P15]

Quite a few years ago, there was a fellow---I believe he was in Detroit--

who had collected many old, old cars. He was in the construction business.

To store all these old cars, he would put some type grease all over them,

then stand them on end inside his wooden fenced yard area of the business.

There were some railroad tracks right beside the fence.

Well, you guessed it....a passing train threw off a spark which caught the

grass between the tracks and fence on fire. Then the fence. A lot of old

cars were lost. I think over 100.

Don't know if anyone remembers that incident or not. I believe the owner's

first name was Barney. I think maybe Barney Pollard.

update-----

Link to an article about him and his cars.....

http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/561724/Re_1970_s_Barney_Pollard_Aucti