With all fire department personnel evacuated from the buildings, several ladder
trucks were repositioned for ladder pipe operations. It was estimated that the master
streams on the building were flowing 5,400 gallons per minute at the peak of the fire.
The master streams were not immediately effective because there were very few
building windows or other suitable openings through which to direct the water. The
theater had exit doors in the auditorium, however, these openings were too low for
effective exterior master stream operations. Portable master stream devices can not be
operated safely through doorway openings in close proximity to walls that could collapse.
Once the auditorium's roof collapsed, water streams were able to reach the fire. The fire
was declared under control at 1:02 p.m., approximately 3 1/2 hours after the initial alarm.
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