Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries......Asbell, Oscar A., 1956 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ One Life Lost In Spectacular Downtown Fire Produce, Tire Businesses Burned Out Building Lost $30,000 In Five Hour Blaze A spectacular fire that wrapped downtown Suffolk in smoke yesterday took the life of 29-year-old Oscar Anderson Asbell, as he slept in an upstairs loft in a brick building housing the Suffolk Vulcanizing Company and the Suffolk Fruit and Produce Company on East Washington Street. The blaze, which was not subdued until more than five hours after the initial alarm, completely gutted the building, valued at an estimated $25,000 to $30,000, and consumed its contents which may have been valued at more than the building. About 2,000 people watched smoke and flames billow from the two- story building. A.C. Volper, owner of the Suffolk Vulcanizing Company, had to be restrained by firemen and policemen as he sought to gain entry to the burning building to rescue Asbell. Fire Chief Rufus A. Barnes said last night that Asbell must have suffocated very soon after the fire started because the smoke grew so thick and fast. The victim was found on the floor next to a cot he was napping on, face down, with his hair and clothing barely touched by the flames. The city coroner, Dr. Edward C. Joyner, listed the cause of death of the youthful auto mechanic as "suffocation from smoke." Asbell had gone upstairs claiming he was tired from working Friday night and wanted to take a nap, according to Volper's sister, Mrs. Violet Beamon. No one who claimed seeing the fire in its early stages could say how it originated and Chief Baines would not hazard a guess. He said it could have started from anything, from a cigarette, from grass burning alongside the Norfolk and Western Railroad tracks in the rear of the building, or any number of things. He said the building was "completely involved" in flames when his men got to the scene in response to a phone call at 2:15 p.m. The fire was discovered by Volper when he smelled smoke in his shop and went to the rear to peer into the produce section of the building. Mrs. Beamon said her brother thought it was a small fire at first and attempted to battle it alone with a hose. When he saw how fast it was spreading, however he called the fire department and asked them to send "an extinguisher." she said. L.T. Judkins, owner of the produce firm which employed nine peopie, said he was working in the front of his part of the building when the fire started and didn't even realize it was there until Volper called him. Asked for an estimate of his losses last night, Judkins said be still was not "collected" enough to figure it out even roughly. The store was filled with produce and canned goods boxed in paper cartons and bags which fed the rapid-growing flames. Judkins was standing vigil through the night to make sure the fire didn't start again in the charred remains. A few firemen, policemen and a greatly diminished number of spectators were milling around the ruins, stepping through puddles of water and jumping over a couple of hoses still hooked up in case of need. Jack Nurney, Sr., owner of the gutted building and several others to either side of it, said the burned building alone was worth some $25,000 to $30,000. He said the produce inside was probably more of a loss than the building. Both Nurney and Judkins said insurance would "partially" cover the damage. Nurney, like many other spectators, noted the "very good" job done by 30 regular and volunteer firemen in keeping the blaze confined to one building, a slight, but steady breeze, could easily have spread the fire to an adjacent furniture shop owned by George Thornton. Chief Baines also praised his men, and "all the outside help I had. I'm not speaking about myself now," he said, "but I think the men did a good job." He said Frank Gayle, Nansemond County Fire Chief, "came and helped me a lot." Many men were seen helping haul hose from trucks, across the blocked railroad tracks toward the building as firemen cried constantly for more line. A veteran fireman, Ben F. Rawles, said the adjacent building was saved by throwing water on the wall separating it from the burning building and keeping it cool. He said last night he thought the fire yesterday was bigger than one in 1945 which destroyed the Thornton-Jaffe Store, but another bystander said it was the biggest in Suffolk "since the Burgess Lumber Company fire" some 10 years ago. Three pumping engines and a hook and ladder truck were stationed on every side of the building. One was a block away at the corner of Franklin Street. The last engine to be brought back was returned to the station at 7:30 p.m. The body of Asbell was taken to the I.O. Hill and Company Funeral Home here, where funeral services will be conducted Monday at 2:30 p.m. by the Rev. George S. Lightner, pastor of the Main Street Methodist Church. Asbell lived at 339 Holladay Street and reportedly joined Farmer's Incorporated here a week ago. The son of Mrs. Geneva Green Asbell and the late William Jesse Asbell of Suffolk, he is survived by three sisters: Mrs. W.J. Wash of Portsmouth, Mrs. T.W. Saunders of Suffolk, and Mrs. F.E. Cushman of Norfolk; three brothers: John Asbell, W.J. Asbell, Jr., and Ralph M. Asbell, all of Suffolk. Burial tomorrow will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery. [photo, captioned:] Firemen Pour Water Into Burning Buildings on East Washington Street During Spectacular Blaze [photo, captioned:] WATCHING THE BIG BLAZE - Crowds lined the streets on both East Washington Street and Hall Avenue yesterday afternoon watching firemen battle the big blaze that was confined to two business establishments, Suffolk Fruit and Produce Company and Suffolk Vulcanizing Company. One man perished in the building. (Moore Photo). Oscar Anderson ASBELL, auto mechanic, Army veteran of WW-II, b. 24 Jun 1926, Suffolk, d. 10 Mar 1956, Suffolk, interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block P, Lot 41*), Suffolk, 12 Mar 1956, "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 34, No. 60, Sun., Mar. 11, 1956, pp. 1 & 9 *Additional information: His parents are buried in the same lot. Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_a.txt A photo of his gravestone - added by Steve Poole - is posted with Find a Grave Mem. #104265880. D.Cert. 6446 (Suffolk #17) gives suffocated by smoke; contributory: 1st and 2nd degree burns of hands, face, legs & arms. "Man was on second floor of Store when it caught fire and burned. Burned areas did not seem severe enough to cause death." He m. Carolyn Lane RUSSELL 13 Jun 1945 (Suffolk #82); they div. in 1956. Their premature daughter Carolyn Lindann ASBELL (27 Apr 1946 - 28 Apr 1946) is also buried in the same lot. Her gravestone shows the wrong dates. Find a Grave Mem. #102508350 gives Carolyn J., and gives the dates as shown - "28 Apr 1946 - 29 Apr 1946". Oscar's former in-laws, Robert Lee Sr. & Lula Belle (TAYLOR) RUSSELL, are also buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery - Block W, Lot 19: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_p.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/a214o1ob.txt