The following is a modified version of "The Disaster List" - the Clark County Historical Society's record of fires and emergencies:
1800s
Maddox Fisher Mill - Dec. 5, 1834
Fonghrby Utlity (cq) & Independence Co Fire - 1837
Linn & Murry Fire (N.E. Corner Main & Limestone) - Feb. 21, 1840
Muzzie & Frankenberg Mill Fire (Mill Run & Buck Creek) - Feb. 2, 1857
Barnett Flour Mill Fire (Buck Creek & N. Limestone) - Feb. 2, 1863
Rat Row Fire (S.E. Market St) - 1868
B&J Funk Keys Grocery Fire (S. Side Main @ Fisher) Capt. Oscar Keys died from internal injuries in fall down elevator shaft - June 28, 1886
Ferrell & Ludley & Rodgers Fire (E. Side S. Limestone & Union) - 1873
First Lutheran Church Fire, 1 firefighter killed - June 25, 1873
Ohio Southern Roundhouse Fire - Jan. 8, 1887
Lumberyard Fire, 3 story brick shop, 2 story frame dwelling (Main & Western) $10,000 damage, 4,000 ft hose used - Aug. 30, 1887
James Leffel Co. Fire ( Lagonda Ave.) Steamer used. 2,800 ft hose used - Oct. 11, 1887
Good & Reese Greenhouse Fire (S. Limestone) - April 14, 1890
Winter’s Act Litho (W. High St) - March 15, 1892
Arcade Hotel Fire (Fountain & High) - Feb. 19, 1894
Lagonda House Fire (Limestone & Main) - Oct. 29, 1895
Arcade Building Fire (Fountain & High) - April 3, 1896
1900s
Hamma School of Theology, Wittenberg College - Dec. 28, 1900
E.W. Ross Shop Fire - Jan. 14, 1901
Congregational Church Fire - Jan. 22, 1901
East Street Shops Fire (East St & Kenton St) - Feb. 10, 1902
Black’s Opera House Fire (Main & Fountain) - Feb. 19, 1903 (Also listed as Block and Black Opera House)
Methodist Campground Hotel Fire - Aug. 5, 1904
Methodist Campground Fire ("All") - Nov. 17, 1904
"Jungle" Fire - 1906
Freedom Oil & 4 Houses Fire (Fountain & Rockway) - Aug. 26, 1907
Barn & 5 Houses Fire (Clifton & Vine) - Sept. 19, 1907
Cartmell Bldg. Fire (Main & Center) - Sept. 7, 1908
Wickham-Chapman Piano Co. Fires (Sheridan Ave) - Sept. 26, 1908
C.C. Fried & Sons Co. Fire (6 E. Main St) February 29, 1909
H.V. Bretney Tannery Fires - Dec. 3, 1912 (Also listed as Dec. 12)
Beggans Store Fire - Jan. 22, 1914
Kearms & Lechschuety’s Plant Fire - March 6, 1914
Robbins & Myers Co. Fire (Lagonda Ave). Started 4 p.m. $175,000 damage. - Dec. 12, 1914
Theo. Frank Stables Fire (26 N. Fountain Ave) - Aug. 21, 1916
O.S. Kelly Co. Fire (Limestone & Warder) $ 175,000 damage - Nov.25, 1916
Buffalo Springfield Road Roller Co. Fire $500,000 damage. - April 11, 1917
Clark County Court House Fire Started @ 1 a.m. $1 million damage. - March 12, 1918
Kauffman Store & McCoy Fire Started @ 11 p.m. - Jan. 22, 1921
Country Club Fire - June 14, 1922
Fairbanks Piano Plate Co. Fire (Kenton St) - Nov. 13, 1922
Armstrong Foundry Fire (Dibert & R.R.) - Steamer used - 1924
Springfield Abattoir Parkside Ind. Bldg. Fire - Started at 3 p.m., $10,000 damage. - May 12, 1925 (1st general alarm of day)
Brain Lumber Co. Fire (East St.) $150,000 - May 12, 1925 (2nd general alarm of day)
Mass Foos Co. Fire (Isabell between Main & Columbia). Steamer used. - Dec. 17, 1925
Spfld. Malleable Iron Fire (Williams & Main) - April 28, 1926
Bryant Bldg. Basket Co. Fires (14 W. Columbia). Steamers used - Jan. 17, 1928
Jefferson School Fire (McCreight & Garfield) 2 a.m. - Feb. 19, 1928
Central Brass Co. Fire (Jefferson St) - Feb. 13, 1929
Avalon Park Dance Pavilion Fire (Auburn Ave) - Dec. 9, 1930
Phito (cq) Fire (Tibbetts & Pleasant) - April 24, 1931
Peter Boggan Co Fire (34 E. Main St) - Jan. 10, 1932
Cheney Mfg Co Fire - Jan. 17, 1934
William Baley Co Fire (Warder St) - June 1935
Tuttle Brothers Hardware Fire (Monroe St) - Nov. 17, 1937
Springfield Hardware Fire - June 1, 1938
Hoenings Store Fire- Robbins Bldg.- April 10, 1939
Clark County Lumber Co. Fire (W. Main St) - May 20, 1939
Elks Club Fire - Aug. 13, 1939
Trappers Corner Fire (Main & Fountain) - Nov. 6, 1939
Carmedy Lab Fire (625 W. Main) - Jan. 8, 1940
Stratton Grain Co. Fire (211 Mt. Vernom) - March 25, 1940
Norman Friedman Warehouse Fire (Penn & Section) - May 6, 1940
Oliver Farm Equipment Co Fire (270 Monroe) - Dec. 9, 1940
Union National Mill Fire (Warder & Power) - Jan. 12, 1942
Allen Tool & Mfg Fire (R-723 S. Lowery) - July 17, 1942
Crowell Collier Co Fire (202 W. High) - Jan. 16, 1943
Garmen Dress Shop Fire (25 S. Limestone) - May 24, 1943
Rhodes Paper Box Co Fire (66 St. Johns Pl) - May 4, 1944
Cappel House Furnishings Fire (126 E. High) - May 23, 1945
The Park Bar Fire (142 W. Main St) - Feb. 4, 1946
Diehl Hardware Co. Fire (66-68 W. Main) - Oct. 14, 1946
McCall Coach Co Fire (107 Bechtle) - May 19, 1947
Spfld. Coffin & Casket Co Fire (310 S. Spring) - Sept. 28, 1947
Ridgely Trimmer Co Fire (1300 Kenton) - Nov. 11, 1947
Paul Straley Home Fire (1617 E. High) - Jan. 25, 1948
Conrad Motors Fire (130 E. Columbia St) - Feb. 5, 1948
Citizen Dairy Fire (Penn & Section) - Aug. 2, 1948
International Steel Wool Fire (1018 Kenton) - Sept. 18, 1948
Davidson Storage Garage Fire (311 W. Main) - Nov. 7, 1950
Robbins & Meyers Plant Explosion (Sherman Ave) - Feb. 10, 1951
Bundy Inc Co Fire (301 Greenmont) - Dec. 8, 1951
Evelyns Laundry Fire (R-222 E. Main) - June 24, 1952
Koehler Hardware Co Fire (1731 E. Main) - June 26, 1952
Old Zimmerman Bldg. Fire (Limestone & Main) - March 10, 1953
Moose Club Fire (32 W. Washington) - Nov. 8, 1953
Western School Fire (Main & Yellow Springs St) - Jan. 4, 1954
Ripley Auto Center Fire (100 W. North) - Jan. 19, 1954
Hynes Dress Shop Fire (11 E. High) - Nov. 13, 1954
Western Tool Mfg Fire (1620 E. Pleasant) - Feb. 19, 1956
King Bldg Fire (21 S. Fountain) - Sept. 15, 1956
Borden Co Fire (125 N. Fountain) - Feb. 20, 1958
Potts Auto Body. Arson. - 1959
Miami Pattern Shop Fire (1302 S. Yellow Springs) - March 9, 1960
Mercycrest Fire (100 W. McCrieght) - Aug. 10, 1961
Blair Mfg. Co Fire (1620 E. Pleasant) - June 19, 1962
Specter Junk Yard Fire (Main & Jackson) - 1964
Haucke Hardware Fire (333 W. Main) - Aug. 11 1964
Western Tool Co Fire (1620 E. Pleasant) - Oct. 3, 1964
Springfield Laundry Fire (141 N. Murry) - April 27, 1966
Howard Sobers Trucking Co Fire (Lagonda & Belmont) - 1968
Landmark Mill Fire (442 N. Limestone) - Sept. 17, 1968
Penn Central Freight House Fire (300 S. Limestone) - Aug. 25, 1970
D.T.I. Freight House Fire (300 S. Limestone) - Oct. 9, 1970
Helkensen Paper Box Fire (714 Rubsam) - April 9, 1971
Midwest Rug Cleaners Fire (R-230 Chestnut) - June 18, 1971
Ronez Homes Fire (Belmont & Home Rd) - Aug. 7, 1971
B&M Fiberglass Fire (350 S. Fountain) - Aug. 9, 1971
Yannucci’s Restaurant Fire (1725 W. Main St) - March 7, 1972
Springfield Furniture Fire (502 W. Euclid) - Aug. 28, 1972
Credit Life Fire (204 S. Lowery) - Sept. 2, 1972
Kar Gard Fire (2100 S. Limestone) - Oct. 21, 1972
Ebners Junk Yard Fire (North & Water) - 1973
Tower Hall, Wittenberg University - Feb. 1, 1977
OTHER EMERGENCIES
1800s
Cholera. 75 dead. - 1832-33
High St. Bridge destroyed by Flood (York St) - May 13, 1886
N. Limestone St Bridge collapse over Buck Falls - 1889
Cyclone strikes south-side of city - July 13, 1892
Mad River floods east-side of city. Some houses see 3-4 ft of water (Columbia & North) - 1897
1900s
Riots after slaying of police officer - March 6, 1904
Riots on Columbia Street & Levee. Levee burned. - March 7-8, 1906
Great Dayton-Springfield Flood - March 12, 1913
Ku KluxKlan Convention - April 2, 1913
Columbia Theater Collapsed into Mill Run - Sept. 28, 1917
Influenza outbreak. 5,000 infected. - 1918
Riots - March 12, 1921
Flood - Feb. 26, 1929
Urbana Pike wreck - 1929
Traction Collision. 7 killed. - Aug. 10, 1935
Blizzard - Dec. 25, 1935
Blizzard - Jan. 22, 1936
Interurban Crash on C&L.E. near city - April 28, 1936
Twister destroys steeples of Broadus Church - February 1937
Earthquake. 9:47 a.m. 30 seconds. - March 7, 1937
Blizzard - Nov. 25, 1950
Gas in Sewers (34 Lagonda) - March 24, 1953
N. Limestone Bridge Collapsed - Nov. 11, 1957
Flood - January 1959
Blizzard - Jan. 27, 1978