Beverly Honors 15 Victims Of Elliott Chambers Rooming House Fire

BEVERLY, MA — The 15 victims of a July 4 fire that ripped through the Elliott Chambers Rooming House were remembered in Beverly on the 40th anniversary of their deaths.

The 1984 fire — considered one of the deadliest in Massachusetts history — led to legislation that allowed local communities to require sprinkler systems in rooming houses.

The Elliott Chambers Rooming House was a three-story building on the corner of Elliott and Rantoul streets. The fire was reported at 4:18 a.m. and quickly ripped through the building, trapping dozens of residents.

Despite the efforts of firefighters, who rescued several residents from windows with ladders, 15 people were killed.

In 2010, former Councilor John Burke, Beverly City Council and community members dedicated a memorial at the corner of Elliott and Rantoul Streets. The Beverly Fire Department and Department of Public Services cleaned up the memorial last week and laid a wreath in honor of those who died in the fire.

In Memory of those Lost on July 4, 1984

Alfred Cummings, 70
John Didlake, 30
Vincent DiFrancesco, 52
Richard Duest, 38
George Flynn, 18
Francis Hinchey, 63
Eugene Macieljowski, 37
Robert Moore, 70
Ralph Nickerson, 9
Richard Nickerson, 21
William Peters, 72
Raymond Smith, 30
Hattie Whary, 73
Nicholas Wilder, 57
Chester Wilson, 54

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)