1969 — July 10, Fire, Farm Dwelling (laundry room), Posen, Presque Isle County, MI– 10
— ~10 AP. “Fire May Have Killed 10 Persons.” Herald-Press, St. Joseph, MI. 7-10-1969, p. 1.
— 10 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
— 10 NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1969,” Fire Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, May 1970, p. 38.
Narrative Information
NFPA: “A fire probably caused by an electrical fault started in a first-story laundry room of a two-story farmhouse in Posen, Michigan, on April 6.[1] It quickly spread throughout the house, and by the time it was discovered by a neighbor shortly before 2 am the building was completely involved. The seven children and three adults sleeping in the building all died in the fire.” (NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1969,” Fire Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, May 1970, p. 38.)
Newspapers
July 10, AP: “Posen (AP) – Two members of a rural Posen farm family remained alive today after a midnight fire burned down their house, possibly killing as many as 10 persons. Surviving are Edward Gralewicz, son of the house’s 83-year-old owner, Anthony Gralewicz, and Carol Bonin, his grand-daughter, who was reported away on a trip. Presque Isle County sheriff’s deputies…said Edward had awakened his father, but the older man did not manage to escape.
“Nothing remains of the four-bedroom home except red-hot silt after the blaze, which deputies said started in a laundry room. Sheriff’s deputies said the stone foundation and the silt was too hot to examine closely for remains of the other occupants of the home….” (Associated Press. “Fire May Have Killed 10 Persons.” Herald-Press, St. Joseph, MI. 7-10-1969, p. 1.)
July 11, Herald Press: “Sixteen year-old Carol Bonnin clasps her boyfriend’s hand [reference to photo] as she walks past the burned-out remains of the home in which 10 members of her family died Thursday at Posen, a small community in northeastern lower Michigan. It was the most destructive home fire ever recorded in Michigan.[2] Authorities say the probable cause of the fire was a malfunction of electrical wiring. Dead are Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bonnin, Mrs. Bonnin’s father, Anthony Gralewicz, and seven of the Bonnin’s eight children who ranged in age from one to 16. Only survivor of those in the dwelling at the time of the fire was Mrs. Bonnin’s brother, Edward Gralewicz, who was wakened by the family dog and fled in time. (AP Wirephoto).”
(Herald-Press, St. Joseph, MI. “Where 10 Died.” 7-11-1969, p. 1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Fire May Have Killed 10 Persons.” Herald-Press, St. Joseph, MI. 7-10-1969, p. 1. Accessed 5-22-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/michigan/st-joseph/st-joseph-herald-press/1969/07-10?tag=posen+fire&rtserp=tags/posen-fire?psi=52&pci=7&ndt=ex&pd=10&pm=7&py=1969/
Herald-Press, St. Joseph, MI. “Where 10 Died.” 7-11-1969, p. 1. Accessed 5-22-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/michigan/st-joseph/st-joseph-herald-press/1969/07-11/page-4?tag=posen+fire&rtserp=tags/posen-fire?psi=52&pci=7&ndt=ex&pd=11&pm=7&py=1969
National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)
National Fire Protection Association. “The Major Fires of 1969,” Fire Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, May 1970, pp. 37-40.
[1] Date incorrect – was July 10.
[2] Not correct. On March 3, 1949, a kerosene explosion led to a fire in a residence in Lakewood, MI, killing nine children and two adults. See: NFPA. “Recent Important Fires, Fire News, No. 380, April 1949, p. 8.