William Booth Memorial Home for Men Fire MemorialPrint Page 
The photographic plaque commemorates the thirty residents of a Salvation Army William Booth Memorial Home for Men who died in a catastrophic fire in August 1966. The plaque also remembers the survivors of the tragedy, the Salvation Army staff, the Melbourne Fire Brigade and medical services.
The plaque was unveiled on 13 August 2016 on the 50th anniversary of the fire. The ceremony was conducted by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade’s Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer Robert Purcell and Major Brendan Nottle from The Salvation Army. Trevor Reed, a fireman who attended the conflagration, pulled the curtain.
The plaque was funded by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. The dedication image shows Deputy Chief Officer Rob Purcell and Firefighter Trevor Reed (Retired). Trevor Reed was one of the first Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters into the building.
The fire was, and still is, Australia's deadliest building fire. The Salvation Army could not afford to install sprinklers or alarms because the money was spent feeding the men and keeping them off the streets.
The fire started on the third floor after a boarder knocked over an illegal heater. The fire smoldered for several hours in room number 1 and exploded after a fellow boarder opened the room's door. A backdraft and flashover ensued, and fire and smoke engulfed the third and fourth floors. Most of the 30 men who died were caged in their cyclone mesh-covered rooms and had no time to escape.
Location
| Address: | 462 Little Lonsdale Street, Between Brights Place and Alsop Lane, Melbourne, 3000 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.812358 Long: 144.958324 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Fire |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 13-August-1966 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 13-August-1966 |
| Link: | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pru… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 13th August, 2016 |
|---|
On 13 August 1966 thirty men
perished here in
Australia's deadliest building fire.
They are remembered ;
as are the survivors,
The Salvation Army staff of the
William Booth Memorial Home,
the Metropolitan Fire Brigade,
medical services and the many others
who were involved both during
and after the fire.
