<Begin Segment 41>

DG: Let's talk some more about that 7th Avenue fire time. Now, when was that again?

TH: I think it was early '70s. That happened at the 7th Avenue apartment on 7th Avenue and Pike -- is that around Pike Street? Pike and Union? Someplace around there between -- Mr. Otoshi was running that at that time. And the stairway -- the fire spread right up the stairway and all that. (Narr. note: the 7th Avenue Apartments were located at 1421 7th Ave. between Union and Pike Sts.)

ET: He went after the fire extinguisher and he couldn't run, he was so old, and he left the door open.

YM: Central Hotel, Central School, huh?

TH: No. Central School, that's the Stanley Apartment he was running earlier. Then he bought the 7th Avenue apartment and it was operating that when -- that was a pretty big fire and I think there were some lives lost and that's why the city really start clamping down. That's when they wanted --

ET: One lady was smoking. That's the way it started.

TH: Yeah. I think it came from the --

ET: And when he went -- he shouldn't have opened the door, but I guess he opened the door and naturally it just blasted out.

TH: Blasted out and hit the stairway and that's why they wanted enclosed stairway after that.

<End Segment 41> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.