By Billy Crawford
Source: The Vernon Parish Library Digital Library (Leesville Leader, October 6, 1980)
The Leesville Fire Department honored Fire Chief Allen Williams, celebrating his 30th year with the City Fire Department.
At the celebration gathering the Chief reflected on a few of his experiences over these many years, including one of his closest calls he ever experienced, the Lee Theatre fire in 1952.
The then 20-year-old fireman had stopped at the Leesville Cafe on his way to work for the 6 p.m. shift at the old Lee Street Station.
He was walking out of the cafe when the fire engines were rolling down Third Street on the way to the theatre. He jumped on the fire truck and arrived at the scene, which was already engulfed in flames.
Williams recalled that there was a man standing in the lobby staring at the flames, spellbound and oblivious to the danger. While pulling the man out, the storage closet blew up causing injuries to both men.
The adrenalin was flowing, and Williams noticed a hose line connected from the adjacent building left unattended. He went up the ladder left leaning against the adjacent building. After wrestling with the busted hose connection, he realized someone had moved the ladder and his only way down from the building.
He remained on the building until help came, while trying to contain control of the fire hose, which because of the intense water pressure, was whipping like it had a life on its own. The heat from the fire was so intense that he burned both arms.
His wife Billie remembered this particular event. “Allen was unable to hold our youngest child; a newborn at that time.”
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Mr. Billy Crawford shared his thoughts on the theatre fire with the Vernon Parish Journal:
The Lee Theatre, along with the Dreamland, Vernon, and Polk were regularly attended by the residents of Vernon Parish. It was especially popular for us teenagers for ‘date night’ and the military troops stationed at Fort Polk.
The Lee Theater was filled to its 600-seat-capacity Sunday afternoon watching the feature movie, Flaming Feather, when smoke was seen coming from the north wall of the building.
Theatre employee Miss Mary McElveen bravely helped patrons to safely evacuate the theatre.
The Lee Theatre, with Buddy’s Men’s Shop and the Pelican Bar were destroyed by fire.
It took forty-five minutes before the firemen could bring the flames under control. For a while the entire block was threatened.