On Aug. 9, 1971, a fire at the B&M Fiberglass Co. forced Springfield firefighters to "leap for their lives" from the roof.
"A series of explosions cut them off from their ladders," Captain Calvin Roberds wrote in the 1978 book "From Buckets to Diesels."
The fire at 350 South Fountain Avenue was fueled by resins and solvents and "caused a large number of injuries to firefighters," Roberds wrote.
The blaze also sent a huge plume of smoke over the city.
Firefighters extinguished the flames using master streams and ladder pipes.