In Peabody 35 Years Ago, 'It Sounded Like An Atomic Bomb'

PEABODY, MA — It started with a loud boom, followed by a fireball rising into the sky. Then the 55 gallon drums of chemicals that had been stored in the Henry Leather Company in downtown Peabody shot 150 feet into the air "like missiles," according to witness accounts. But in the end, the most amazing fact to emerge from the fire is that just one person, a 23-year-old roofer from Haverhill, was killed by the fire.

It was 35 years ago Friday, on May 10, 1984, that the Tannery Leather fire leveled two blocks in downtown Peabody. More than 100 people were treated at area hospitals and more than 300 people were instantly out of work. Hundreds more had to flee their homes, with authorities especially concerned about children, senior citizens and pregnant women inhaling the toxic fumes emerging from the disaster site.

"It was just this huge boom and then flames everywhere," a tannery worker told United Press International. "I don't know how so many people got out alive. The windows were blowing out, the door blowing out. I just ran for the door."

For blocks surrounding the disaster, homeowners rolled out garden hoses and watered down the sides of their houses to prevent the spread of the fire. The UPI report on the fire said the heat "turned aluminum siding to the consistency of marshmallows and left panes of glass 500 feet away too hot to touch."

One of three workers on the roof of the building accidentally cut through a pipe filled with flammable chemicals. One of those workers, Gerald Raymond, 23, of Haverhill, was either blown off the roof or fell to his death as he tried to escape. The other two workers suffered serious burns.

"It blew up right in front of my eyes," Salem Police officer Betram Trumblay, who was on patrol near the factory at the time, told UPI. "It sounded like an atomic bomb."

Fifteen minutes after the initial explosion, there was a second explosion, launching the chemical drums into the air. The heat from second blast was so intense it pushed onlookers back more than 100 feet.

Fire Chief Nick Gerakaris said it was the worst fire he had seen in 30 years, made even worse by wind that helped it spread. A thick cloud of smoke soon covered the north shore. Air tests found dangerous levels of benzene, a carcinogen. Most of the 125 people taken to the hospital, including dozens of rescue workers, were treated for respiratory problems.

The fire destroyed 19 businesses spread in four buildings that were destroyed. Mayor Peter Torigian immediately applied for federal disaster aid.

"The wind picked it up and brushed it from building to building," Gerakaris told UPI.

Further reading:

• Read the UPI article from 1984 on the fire.
• Listen to a five-minute oral history recounting the fire on the George Peabody House Museum Website.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).