From the Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/6/1962
Guest Dies, 10 Routed in Motel Blaze
Fire Sweeps Wing of Huge Lodge at King of Prussia
One man dies and 10 other guests were routed Wednesday when a raging fire swept through a 52-unit wing of the George Washington Motor Lodge, on Route 202 and the Schuylkill Expressway, King of Prussia, Upper Merion township.
The blaze, discovered at 9:05 A.M., was fought by 100 firemen from five communities for nearly three hours before it was brought under control.
One unit in the wing, occupied by the victim, was destroyed and the other 51 units were damaged by flames, smoke and water. Damage was unofficially estimated in excess of $400,000.
‘NO FIRE ORDINANCE’
Fire Chief Edward Silcox, of the King of Prussia Co., who directed the battle, blamed a lack of fire walls between the units in the wing and the absence of fire hydrants on the premises for the spread of the flames.
“There is no fire ordinance in the township,” Silcox said.
Killed in the blaze was Richard Callopy, 42, of Hamilton, O., a salesman for the paper Mills, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., who occupied the unit where the fire started.
His body, clad in pajamas, was found in the bathroom, two hours after the blaze started.
Among the guests who fled were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Starrett, of Norwalk, Conn., and their daughter, Suzanne, 7 weeks. The child was taken to Montgomery Hospital, Norristown, for examination and discharged.
REPORTS SMOKE
William Scheenberg, of Cleveland, who had a room next to Callopy’s, called the motel office shortly after 9 o’clock and said smoke was seeping into his room.
While the desk clerk called police and firemen, Michael d’Alonza, 22, a handyman, rushed to Callopy’s room and unlocked the door with a passkey. He was met by flames and smoke and said the whole room was on fire.
Chief Silcox said the flames spread rapidly along ductwork between the ceilings of the units and the roof. He said although the exterior of the wing, opened three months ago, was made of brick, there was only studding, insulation and plaster wallboard between the units.
Within the last three weeks, the supervisors of Upper Merion township directed the township solicitor to prepare a draft for the adoption of a fire ordinance.
Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/6/1962
