Like the 1960s, the 1970s were a time of extreme ideas, concepts, and fads. During this time, the Little Falls Board of Education embraced a radical new concept called “open learning”. In its basic form, open learning was far less regimented than in standard educational systems.
With this in mind, Little Falls opened a brand new high school in September of 1970 on High School Road. What made this building unique was that a lot of the classrooms had no walls – a key component of open learning. While it would set Little Falls apart from the other schools in the area, it would end up causing major problems.
The night of January 10, 1976, was miserably cold as the temperatures were below zero. At about 11:47 p.m., an automatic alarm came into the fire station from the new high school. Although the LFFD had been to the school several times in the preceding months for minor fires, this would be far different.
When the first engine arrived on the scene, the firefighters were confronted with an inferno blowing out through the middle of the roof (the sheer size of the fire also prompted an accidental “holy s@%t over the radio). Right from the start, the deck was stacked against the LFFD. The lack of walls meant the fire was able to spread with ease and ultimately caused the roof to collapse over the center of the building, destroying offices, the cafeteria, library, and 22 classrooms.
The zero-degree temperatures froze the hydrants, hoses, and water in the engines. In an effort to establish a water supply, the attendant at the nearby city reservoir, Richard Zilkowski, cut holes in the ice that was two feet thick on the reservoir.
Despite the valiant efforts against the elements, the damage to the school was massive – estimated at up to $3 million, making it the most costly single building fire in the history of Little Falls. An investigation that followed ruled the origin of the blaze was arson, but the arsonist was never found.
The Indian Castle Church Fire
The historic Indian Castle Church was built in 1769. Located on State Route 5s near Dillenbeck Road in the Town of Danube, it has held hundreds, if not thousands, of services in its 200 years plus of existence. On the night of November 30, 1979, it required the services of three fire departments.
At 9:30 p.m., a nearby resident named Charles Welden noticed fire burning through the windows of the church. Welden, along with church caretaker Leo Singer, attempted to gain access to the building through the front door but were pushed back by the intense heat. The St. Johnsville Fire Department was called as the structure was in their district, and St. Johnsville in turn called the Little Falls and Fort Plain Fire Departments for assistance.
Firefighters determined the fire was about to break through the roof, so the LFFD brought their aerial truck and immediately set up to push the flames back from above. The blaze badly damaged the interior of the church, but the building was not destroyed thanks to the combined efforts of the three departments. Arson was determined to be the cause of this fire as well, but like the Little Falls High School fire, the arsonist was never caught.