On August 13, 1968, a huge fire sweeps Todd Pacific Shipyards, located on Seattle's Harbor Island in Elliott Bay. The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, causes $100,000 in damage to the shipyard, where two U.S. Navy destroyer escorts are being completed.
Four firefighters and five workers were injured battling the stubborn blaze, which was confined to the creosoted timbers supporting the dock. Twenty fire companies, 300 firefighters, and the fire boats Duwamish and Alki responded to the blaze. The destroyer escorts Lakewood and Shields were not damaged and Todd officials predicted that there would be no delay in delivering the ships to the Navy.
Sources:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 14, 1968, p. 3; The Seattle Times, August 14, 1968, p. 59.
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