Unfortunately, the fire at the Gerretsen Building Supply Company got too close to a truck parked nearby. The truck was loaded with two tons of dynamite and four and a half tons of ammonium nitrate, the resulting explosion sent tremors as much as 17 miles away and lit up the sky for 45 miles.
Fourteen people died as a result of the blast, eight city blocks were leveled and 300 businesses were destroyed.
Image: City of Roseburg