Sign in to disable ALL ads. [10] Total property damage was estimated at $150,000–200,000. 1937 Fox vault fire: part our commitment to scholarly and academic excellence, all articles receive editorial review.|||... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. On July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Foxfilm storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States.It was caused by the spontaneous combustionof nitrate filmstored in inadequately-ventilated vaults. This film is flammable, and produces its own oxygen supply as it burns. On July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States.It was caused by the spontaneous combustion of nitrate film stored in inadequately-ventilated vaults. Exploding vaults had destroyed segments of both the exterior walls and interior partitions and had deformed the structure's concrete roof. Also destroyed were negatives from Educational Pictures to Belarusfilm (with which Fox was then affiliated) and films of several other studios. [25], Piles of ruined film cans outside the fire-damaged vault building, Approximately $2.67 million – 3.56 million in 2019 dollars, "Burn after viewing, or, fire in the vaults: nitrate decomposition and combustibility", Nitrate film testing for the National Archives: December 1978 fire investigation, "Crafting a new exhibit: Edison's fire companies and the Great Fire of 1914", "$45,000 fire drives families from homes in Little Ferry", "Trustee asks $500,000 for films lost in fire", "Fox N. J. film storage plant swept by flames", "Report of the Committee on Preservation of Film". [8] When Little Ferry, New Jersey, contractor William Fehrs was hired to construct a film storage facility in 1934, he designed the structure to be fireproof. At some time shortly after 2:00 a.m. on July 9, spontaneous ignition occurred in the vault at the building's northwest corner. [9][10] The building was also badly damaged. [16] The grandfather of director Blake Edwards, J. Gordon Edwards, had directed all the highest grossing epics for Fox and all the masters for his films were lost (though a few survive as low quality prints which were housed elsewhere). [10] The local fire department confirmed Fehrs's fireproofing. [4][5] The United Film Ad Service vault, also in Kansas City, burned on August 4, 1928, and a fire was reported at Pathé Exchange nine days later. I've often daydreamed of traveling back in time to 8 July 1937 and finding a way to sneak into the Fox Film vault in Little Ferry, NJ. Especially in confined areas, such fires can result in explosions. [10] The local fire department confirmed Fehrs's fireproofing. However, in July 1937, a major fire broke out in the storage facility resulting in the destruction of most of the nitrate films stored there. Especially in confined areas, such fires can result in explosions. How do you say 1937 Fox vault fire? This page is based on the Wikipedia article. The sustained heat contributed to nitrate decomposition in the film vaults, and the building's ventilation was inadequate to prevent a dangerous buildup of gases. Each can contained about five cents' worth of silver;[13] the salvaged metal returned $2,000. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. In October 1929, the Consolidated Film Industries facility was badly damaged by a nitrate fire. All three were seriously burned; 13-year-old Charles eventually died from his injuries on July 19. [15] Tom Mix made eighty-five pictures with Fox, most of which were archived exclusively at Little Ferry. The early motion-picture industry primarily used film stock made of nitrocellulose, commonly called nitrate film. Educational Pictures lost more than two thousand silent negatives and prints;[12][19] the company's sound films survived. [10] Other families were able to escape unharmed as the fire spread to five neighboring residences and destroyed two vehicles. [21], The destruction of the Little Ferry facility spurred an interest in fire safety as an aspect of film preservation. [11][14], Little Ferry firefighters first arrived at 2:26, followed by companies from Hawthorne, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, and South Hackensack. In the United States, a series of fires occurred at industry facilities. The fire brought attention to the potential for decaying nitrate film to spontaneously ignite, and changed the focus of film preservation efforts to include a greater focus on fire safety. The Republicans took Quijorna. Thank you for helping build the largest language community on the internet. save hide report. One death and two injuries resulted from the fire, which also destroyed all the archived film in the vaults, resulting in the loss of most of the silent films produced by the Fox Film Corporation before 1932. [10] Other families were able to escape unharmed as the fire spread to five neighboring residences and destroyed two vehicles. [25], Piles of ruined film cans outside the fire-damaged vault building. A major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States on July 9, 1937. Required fields are marked * Comment. A major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States on July 9, 1937. Topic. Listen to the audio pronunciation of 1937 Fox vault fire on pronouncekiwi. On July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States.Flammable nitrate film had previously contributed to several fires in film industry laboratories, studios, and vaults, although the precise causes were often unknown. The Lubin Manufacturing Company's vault in Philadelphia exploded on June 13, 1914, followed on December 9 by a fire that destroyed Thomas Edison's laboratory complex in West Orange, New Jersey. [1] Unlike previous large nitrate-film fires, investigators determined that the spontaneous combustion of decomposing film stock was responsible. Educational Pictures lost more than two thousand silent negatives and prints;[12][19] the company's sound films survived. One death and two injuries resulted from the fire, which also destroyed all the archived film in the vaults, resulting in the loss of most of the silent films produced by the Fox Film Corporation before 1932. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. For example, a storage vault fire in 1937 destroyed all the original negatives pre-1935 films made by Fox Pictures. [C][9], Although 20th Century-Fox officials at the time remarked that "only old films" were destroyed,[14] the fire is now understood as a significant loss of American film heritage. Also present was the original negative of D. W. Griffith's Way Down East (which Fox had purchased with the intent of remaking),[9] the negative for the controversial Christie Productions sponsored film The Birth of a Baby[20] and films produced by Sol Lesser under his imprints Atherton Productions, Peck's Bad Boy Corporation, and Principal Pictures. Author: In Little Ferry, gases On July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States.It was caused by the spontaneous combustion of nitrate film stored in inadequately-ventilated vaults. December 20, 2020 297 × 170 FILMS LOST IN FIRES. Date: 9 July 1937: Source (1937). [15], The Little Ferry vaults also held works by other film studios that had contracted with Fox for distribution. On July 9, 1937, fire gutted a film storage facility (pictured) in Little Ferry, New Jersey, rented by the American studio 20th Century-Fox. Clipping found in The Record in Hackensack, New Jersey on Jul 9, 1937. [1] The Society of Motion Picture Engineers' Committee on Preservation of Film, three months after the vault fire, cited "recent and rather extensive film fires" as evidence that existing preservation efforts had failed to adequately address the risk of fire. [18] Because some copies were located elsewhere, some of Fox's silent films survive as lower-quality prints – or fragments – but more than 75% of Fox's feature films from before 1930 are completely lost. Diagram of the 1937 Fox vault fire.jpg. Share. Nitrate fires burn rapidly and cannot be extinguished, as they are capable of burning even under water. [10][11] It took 150 men employing 14 hose streams to put the fire out by 5:30. Also present was the original negative of D. W. Griffith's Way Down East (which Fox had purchased with the intent of remaking),[9] the negative for the controversial Christie Productions sponsored film The Birth of a Baby[20] and films produced by Sol Lesser under his imprints Atherton Productions, Peck's Bad Boy Corporation, and Principal Pictures. They suggested that the older nitrocellulose film in the archive was of lower quality than their current film, and thus more unstable. [11] However, it had neither a fire sprinkler system nor mechanical ventilation, and no security guard was employed to watch the facility. In Little Ferry, gases produced by decaying film, combined with high temperatures and inadequate ventilation, resulted in spontaneous combustion. [10][11] As the contents of additional vaults ignited, bursts of flame shot out 100 feet (30 m) horizontally across the ground from the windows, and a similar distance into the air from the building's roof vents. A major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, United States on July 9, 1937.Flammable nitrate film had previously contributed to several fires in film industry laboratories, studios, and vaults; although the precise causes were often unknown. This decaying film stock releases nitrogen oxides that themselves contribute to the decay and make the damaged film burn more easily. [21], The destruction of the Little Ferry facility spurred an interest in fire safety as an aspect of film preservation. [10][11] It took 150 men employing 14 hose streams to put the fire out by 5:30. share. In 1937, the Northern New Jersey experienced a high heatwave in Summer, with daytime temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) and warm nights. 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