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Frank Stewart “Butch” Henry

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Frank Stewart “Butch” Henry

Birth
Kingman, Mohave County, Arizona, USA
Death
10 Jul 1973 (aged 28)
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
Burial
Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Frank "Butch" Henry was the manager of ICX Trucking Co., a volunteer firefighter and a 28 year old married father of three children when he responded to the call of a fire on a railroad spur at the Doxol Gas Western Energy Co. bulk plant shortly before 2PM on that hot July 5th, 1973 in Kingman Arizona.
While Marvin Mast and Donald Formantini were transferring propane from a 33,000 gallon rail car to storage tanks, a leak in the lines was sparked by a wrench and flames flew 100 feet into the air. Firefighters responded from all over town, pouring water on the tanks in an effort to cool them until valves could be opened to relieve the building pressure in the tanks caused by the heat. But the flames grew bigger and the heat more intense so the decision had been made to pull back and clear the area when the tanker exploded at 2:09 PM with a fireball estimated at 1700 degrees farenheit, burning everyone within a 300 yard radius and setting fire to structures and vehicles nearby. Buildings were flattened, windows broken, people burned in their yard from fire raining out of the sky, fires broke out all over town. The rail car was torn apart, half of it landing a quarter of a mile down the tracks. The explosion left a crater ten feet deep.
Air evac planes from Good Samaritan hospital along with helicopters from two Air Force bases were called in to transport the critically burned to burn units in Arizona and Nevada. Medical personel from hospitals in other cities responded to help the local hospital deal with the huge influx of burned and injured.
Although the fire was under control by that evening, spot fires continued to break out the next day as the danger of leaking tanks continued. There were many stories of heroism that came from that day, ordinary people gong out of their way to help. A high school teenager who rushed to the scene and transported people to the hospital in his pickup, a young woman with blistered feet running the streets barefoot to round up children, people offering help where they could. Help poured in from all over the state.
Thirteen people were killed, heroic men who sacrificed their lives. Over 100 were injured injured, many with severe burns. Frank "Butch" Henry succumbed to his severe injuries in the Phoenix Good Samaritan Hospital burn center early on the day funeral services were held for fellow firefighters Joe Chambers and Art Stringer.

Volunteer firefigher Rodger Allen Hubka,volunteer fire Captain William "Bill" Casson and assistant fire chief Myron B. "Jimmy" Cox were killed instantly.
Over the next two weeks, the following people also died from their injuries :
July 6: Volunteer firefighter Joseph Mintor "Joe" Chambers III and Marvin Eugene Mast, manager of Williams Energy Company/Doxol.
July 7:professional firefighter Arthur C. Stringer, who's father Hugh Stringer (a volunteer) survived his severe injuries.
July 8: professional firefighterChristopher Grey Sanders
July 9: volunteers John O. Campbell, and Richard Lee "Lee" Williams.
July 10: volunteer Frank "Butch" Henry.
July 18: volunteer Donald G. Webb .
July 19: volunteer firefighter and Arizona Highway patrolman Allen H. Hansen.

The Kingman Fire, also known as the Doxol Disaster continues to live on in history as firefighters around the world use this incident for case study and training.

-----------------------------------------------------------
For more reading, please see these links:

http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&subsectionID=514&articleID=16551

http://azdailysun.com/one-of-the-hottest-days-in-the-world/article_f73f8beb-20f8-5b65-8e19-79ddda76ca13.html

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=932&dat=19790704&id=CHczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v4IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7021,240026

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/08/15/20100815kingman-firefighters-1973-memorial.html

Memorial: http://kingmanhistoricdistrict.com/points-of-interest/firefighters-memorial-park/those-who-died.htm

Frank "Butch" Henry was the manager of ICX Trucking Co., a volunteer firefighter and a 28 year old married father of three children when he responded to the call of a fire on a railroad spur at the Doxol Gas Western Energy Co. bulk plant shortly before 2PM on that hot July 5th, 1973 in Kingman Arizona.
While Marvin Mast and Donald Formantini were transferring propane from a 33,000 gallon rail car to storage tanks, a leak in the lines was sparked by a wrench and flames flew 100 feet into the air. Firefighters responded from all over town, pouring water on the tanks in an effort to cool them until valves could be opened to relieve the building pressure in the tanks caused by the heat. But the flames grew bigger and the heat more intense so the decision had been made to pull back and clear the area when the tanker exploded at 2:09 PM with a fireball estimated at 1700 degrees farenheit, burning everyone within a 300 yard radius and setting fire to structures and vehicles nearby. Buildings were flattened, windows broken, people burned in their yard from fire raining out of the sky, fires broke out all over town. The rail car was torn apart, half of it landing a quarter of a mile down the tracks. The explosion left a crater ten feet deep.
Air evac planes from Good Samaritan hospital along with helicopters from two Air Force bases were called in to transport the critically burned to burn units in Arizona and Nevada. Medical personel from hospitals in other cities responded to help the local hospital deal with the huge influx of burned and injured.
Although the fire was under control by that evening, spot fires continued to break out the next day as the danger of leaking tanks continued. There were many stories of heroism that came from that day, ordinary people gong out of their way to help. A high school teenager who rushed to the scene and transported people to the hospital in his pickup, a young woman with blistered feet running the streets barefoot to round up children, people offering help where they could. Help poured in from all over the state.
Thirteen people were killed, heroic men who sacrificed their lives. Over 100 were injured injured, many with severe burns. Frank "Butch" Henry succumbed to his severe injuries in the Phoenix Good Samaritan Hospital burn center early on the day funeral services were held for fellow firefighters Joe Chambers and Art Stringer.

Volunteer firefigher Rodger Allen Hubka,volunteer fire Captain William "Bill" Casson and assistant fire chief Myron B. "Jimmy" Cox were killed instantly.
Over the next two weeks, the following people also died from their injuries :
July 6: Volunteer firefighter Joseph Mintor "Joe" Chambers III and Marvin Eugene Mast, manager of Williams Energy Company/Doxol.
July 7:professional firefighter Arthur C. Stringer, who's father Hugh Stringer (a volunteer) survived his severe injuries.
July 8: professional firefighterChristopher Grey Sanders
July 9: volunteers John O. Campbell, and Richard Lee "Lee" Williams.
July 10: volunteer Frank "Butch" Henry.
July 18: volunteer Donald G. Webb .
July 19: volunteer firefighter and Arizona Highway patrolman Allen H. Hansen.

The Kingman Fire, also known as the Doxol Disaster continues to live on in history as firefighters around the world use this incident for case study and training.

-----------------------------------------------------------
For more reading, please see these links:

http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&subsectionID=514&articleID=16551

http://azdailysun.com/one-of-the-hottest-days-in-the-world/article_f73f8beb-20f8-5b65-8e19-79ddda76ca13.html

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=932&dat=19790704&id=CHczAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v4IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7021,240026

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/08/15/20100815kingman-firefighters-1973-memorial.html

Memorial: http://kingmanhistoricdistrict.com/points-of-interest/firefighters-memorial-park/those-who-died.htm



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