| 1973 National Archives Fire |
Article Index for 1973 |
Website Links For 1973 |
Information About1973 National Archives Fire |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT 1973 NATIONAL ARCHIVES FIRE | |
| national archives and records administration | |
| 1973 disasters | |
| 1973 in the united states | |
| building fires in the united states | |
| fires in missouri | |
|
AFFECTED RECORDS The affected record collections are described below.
CAUSE OF FIRE The exact cause of the 1973 National Archives Fire was never fully determined. An investigation in 1975 revealed that the affected floor, where the fire had started, had been under extreme temperature with little or no ventilation. It was speculated that air pressure on the floor had reached such a level that, combined with the very high temperatures in the enclosed space, the brittle and dry records began to catch fire. The investigation also did not rule out that the fire had been contributed to, if not directly started by, Cigarette embers which were present in several trashcans. DAMAGE AND RECONSTRUCTION The 1973 fire destroyed the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center. Damage from the fire can still be seen today. In 1974, a massive reconstruction effort was begun to restore the service records which were destroyed in the 1973 fire. In most cases where a military record has been presumed destroyed, NPRC is able to reconstruct basic service information, such as military date of entry, date of discharge, character of service, and final rank. CONSPIRACY THEORIES In recent years, some Conspiracy Theories have emerged to explain the 1973 National Archives Fire. No such claims are taken very seriously by the United States government. Such conspiracy accusations include:
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|