Feb. 21, 1957: James F. Regan, a firefighter, climbed an aerial ladder to reach a fire hose, during a five-alarm fire at Spring and Greene Streets. The five-story brick building contained large quantities of baled textile remnants. According to a Times article after the fire, Fire Commissioner Edward F. Cavanagh Jr. said the waste baling industry in Lower Manhattan had a “dangerous, shabby style of poor housekeeping.” He also cited the “careless” stockpiling in the building, advising businesses in the area to implement “housekeeping” practices to avoid another fire. Photo: Carl T. Gossett/The New York Times
