Source: North Manchester Journal, January 24, 1907

SMALL FIRE
Much Smoke, Great Excitement, But Little Damage

Just after 12 o'clock Monday an alarm of fire was turned in from the Rex telephone office which is in the back rooms of the second story of the Ulrey block and when people learned where the fire was there was much excitement. The fire and damage amounted to but little, but had it occurred at some hour of the day when people were not about the building it might have been a disastrous one.

During the morning the men about the telephone office and some plumbers had been trying to thaw out some frozen water pipes in the water closet connected with the office using a gasoline torch such as is commonly used by plumbers. At the noon hour they quit work and went to dinner. In the meantime the fire broke out.

The fire evidently started from the torch and broke out in the wall near the pipes. The operators of the telephone office soon discovered the smoke and gave the alarm. A section of plastering in one of the hall walls had to be torn off before the fire could be reached. The fire did but little damage but the stock of Helm, Snorf & co. in the room below was considerably damaged by the water thrown in putting out the fire. Altogether it was a very lucky fire, if such a thing can be.