CORNELIUS J. LUCEYCornelius J. Lucey - January 10, 1965 (#126)
Engine Co. No. 15 - 2150 California Street

3RD ALARM APARTMENT HOUSE - 354 FRANCISCO

A San Ft Francisco fireman died early yesterday white helping to rescue a child from a burning buildi.ng.       Cornelius Lucey, 42, a bleacher, whose father was a fireman and died in I925 from injuries he suffered in a San Francisco fine, was one of three men drawn into the downstairs floor of an apartment house at 354 Francisco St. by the cries of the child.

As frames billowed upward from the reef of the three-story Lucey, along with Lt. Joe Sullivan both of Rescue Squad 2 - and Lt. Andrew Casper found the five-year-old girl in a front apartment. They were driven back from the from entrance-way by a sudden flareup and had run to the rear in try to get her out.

THROUGH WINDOW

Lucey, wearing a 30-pound air tank on his back, fell through a window and landed head first on a concrete courtyard 16 feet below.

He died en route to the hospital

Firemen put up a ladder and Sullivan and Casper climbed down with the child.

She was Tina Smelser, daughter of Dr. Neil Smelser of Berkeley   a professor of sociology at the University of California, and Helen Smelser.

SLEEPERS ROUTED

Mrs. Smelser, who is separated from her husband, lived at the Francisco Street apartment with Tina and Eric.?. Eric had been carried our by firemen only moments before.

The 3 a. m. fire routed more that 5 sleeping tenants of the six apartments and three flats, and several more apartments behind.  Fire Chief William Murray estimated the damage $50,000,

Nearly 150 firemen fought the three-alarm blaze for almost an hour before it was controlled.

Both of the children and baby sitter, Nora Robinson, of 649 Prairie, Oakland, were treated for smoke inhalation at Harbor Emergency, the released. They spent the rest of the night with the baby sitter.

ANOTHER VICTIM

U, S. Marine Cpl. Cecil Baylor, 24, stationed at Treasure Island, helped awake the tenants. He said he spotted fire while passing by. Overcome by smoke, he was dragged out of the building by firemen and also treated for smoke inhalation.

A second fireman Ovid Seyler, of 198 Chilton St., suffered smoke inhalation and a possible hear attack. He was under treatment yesterday at San Francisco General Hospital.

The fire apparently started in a Christmas tree discarded in a basement storeroom and burned up a lightwell engulfing all three floors and charring the sides of a building at the rear.

Members of the Fire Department Arson Squad were investigating yesterday to determine the cause.
Source: Unknown San Francisco newspaper.

CORNEILIUS (NEIL) LUCEY

The fireman killed in action last Sunday—like his father before him —was noted for his modesty, but how far it went wasn’t revealed until a favorite nephew went to check over his late uncle’s apartment (he had never married). In a trunk was a presidential citation for heroic action as a tailgunner on a Navy plane in the Solomon’s in WW II, “without his heroic action the mission could not have been completed.” Plus two other citations for exceptional bravery. All of which was news to his relatives.
Source: Jack Rosenbaum, San Francisco newspaper columnist.

Extracted from original sources with grammar and spelling as published.

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