By Becky Robinette Wright

Sgt. Mike Goff of the City of  Petersburg Fire Department paid the ultimate price on March 19, 1982. The Petersburg’s Bravest died while trying to save residents from a raging structure fire. On March 19, 2010, a special wreath laying ceremony took place in his honor.

On March 19, 1982 around 7 p.m.tones sounded dispatching firefighters to the Franklin Apartments for smoke coming from the basement.

Twelve apartment units were located above businesses in a brick, three story building that housed mostly elderly residents.

One of the elderly residents, Daisy Houchins, 78 was attempting to get to safety down a fire escape. About that time, Sgt. Mike Goff had entered the building.

Three explosions rocked the complex and the city. Firefighters were blown across the street, a fireball hit one of the fire trucks causing heavy damage and the building collapsed. Daisy Houchins and Sgt Mike Goff were buried in the rubble that covered multiple streets.

The search for the missing Houchins and Goff was no easy task.

“ After the collapse, “ said Jeff Rose, then a Phillips Volunteer Firefighter (Chesterfield) who was on scene as a mutual aid company, “ we had to dig out two sides of a building that had collapsed. Two crews were working in the center of the alley, the debris was handed out brick by brick. Goff’s air pack was located first.”

When the air pack was discovered, Rose continued, Mike Goff’s crew personally carried him out.

“At the time,” Rose explained,” we didn’t know how many people could have been buried.”

Goff and Houchins were killed in the collapse and over thirty people were injured. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Explosions came from the furnace in the apartment building, gas heaters in a sandwich shop and gas powered hair dryers in a hair salon.

Businesses destroyed included: Heritage Jewelers, Franklin Street Apartments, The Sandwich Shoppe and True Dream Hair Designs LTD.

Firefighters discovered two-275 gallon fuel tanks in the basement. The building had been converted to gas heat but the tanks had not been removed.

Nearly 100 firefighters from Petersburg, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Colonial Heights and Hopewell battled the blaze and searched for victims in the rubble.

The damage estimate was around $3.5 million.

In the night and early morning hours five people were arrested for burglary and attacking/impeding police officers.