The History of the Little Falls Fire Department: The 1970’s Heat Up

As the 1970s began, the tension between the fire department and the Common Council had cooled down. Still, the action around the city started to heat up (for more on the tension between the LFFD and Common Council, see The History of the Little Falls Fire Department – A New Chief, Tragedy, and the Times They Are A-Changing at MyLittleFalls.com/Columns/ScottKinville). The Lock Tavern on River Road, which had been empty for about two years, burned to the ground on August 19, 1970. Little Falls firefighters were unable to save the structure, as it was already severely damaged when they arrived.

About a month later, on September 25, a fire badly damaged the Wishing Well Restaurant on Route 5, just west of the city line. The alarm sounded around 3:00 a.m., and when the LFFD arrived, the fire was already well underway. The East Herkimer Fire Department was called in for assistance, and they responded with an engine and a tanker. It is not known what started the fire, but the bar area and main floor were severely damaged, and a second-floor apartment suffered smoke damage.

On May 20, 1971, a mundane electrical fire prompted the department to respond to the radio station WLFH on Second Street. An extinguisher was used to confine the fire to an outlet in the transmitter room, and no on-air time was lost. The LFFD would return 48 hours later, but this time, a major fire ripped through the station. This fire was also electrical in nature, causing extensive damage as the studio, offices, and broadcast equipment were all destroyed. WLFH would eventually return to the airwaves.

Today, the Ann Street Deli is a thriving restaurant located in the heart of Little Falls’ Canal Place, but in 1974, it was a small grocery store known as the Ann Street Market. On the morning of March 2, the store’s owner, Ernie Petkovsek, was serving customers when a fire broke out and engulfed the backroom. The flames would spread quickly to the second and third floors of the building. Facing great danger, Little Falls firefighters made entry through the front door to attack the flames in the rear. From the outside, more firefighters lobbed water on the burning building from all four sides. No other buildings were damaged, thanks in part to Jerry Keppel, who allowed the use of his “cherry picker” truck to help battle the fire.

The people who were in the store at the time of the fire, Petkovsek, Grace Gibulka, John Hallbrin, and Alderman Louis Gamberdella, were able to escape without injury. The building and the merchandise, however, could not be salvaged. Ann Street Market would suffer another devastating fire in 1981, which will be covered in a future installment of The History of the Little Falls Fire Department.

The Ann Street Market was not the only building on South Ann Street to be hit by a fire in the 1970s. Al’s Riverside Pub at 411 South Ann Street (right next to the bridge) was marred by a fire on the night of February 24, 1975. When they arrived, firefighters found flames shooting through windows in the back of the building. The LFFD was able to keep the fire contained to the bar area, but the apartments above and the adjacent structure had smoke and water damage. Al Clicquemoi, who owned the business and building, lived in one of the apartments above the bar. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Stay tuned to MyLittleFalls.com and TheDailyPost.digital for the next installment of The History of the Little Falls Fire Department.