Reels Catch Fire at Gem Theatre
Garfield County News, 29 June 1934, page 1
Excitement ran high for a few minutes among the patrons of last Sunday evening's moving picture at the Gem Theatre, when the third reel of the feature picture was broken and caught fire.
According to Alton Talbot, operator of the sound equipment at the Gem, the reel broke when about one-third through, and before he could open the machine to fix the reel it had caught the remaining two thirds on fire.
As film is highly inflamable, it burned rapidly, filling the operating room completely with flames, and causing the fire to shoot out through the projection holes into the auditorium for about three feet.
The patrons, noticing that the auditorium had become some what lighter than usual, and hearing a strange "hiss", turned and saw the flames shooting through the projection holes of the operating room. As a body they rose to their feet and made a wild dash for the exits.
The building was no more than cleared when word came that the fire was completely out. The crowd went back to their seats, and the show went on, after a short delay, which was spent in cleaning up the machinery.
The operating room, which is fire proof, was red hot, as was the machine in which the fire started.
Luckily, no one was injured or no damage done during the fire.
According to Alton Talbot, operator of the sound equipment at the Gem, the reel broke when about one-third through, and before he could open the machine to fix the reel it had caught the remaining two thirds on fire.
As film is highly inflamable, it burned rapidly, filling the operating room completely with flames, and causing the fire to shoot out through the projection holes into the auditorium for about three feet.
The patrons, noticing that the auditorium had become some what lighter than usual, and hearing a strange "hiss", turned and saw the flames shooting through the projection holes of the operating room. As a body they rose to their feet and made a wild dash for the exits.
The building was no more than cleared when word came that the fire was completely out. The crowd went back to their seats, and the show went on, after a short delay, which was spent in cleaning up the machinery.
The operating room, which is fire proof, was red hot, as was the machine in which the fire started.
Luckily, no one was injured or no damage done during the fire.