Ilion Alumni | History - High School Fire 1963

Ilion High School Fire of 1963

Newspaper Clippings, are reproduced with permission of the Observer-Dispatch, provided by Paul McCabe '64 Added June 30, 1998
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On the night of April 21, 1963, the clocks throughout the high school building stopped at 10:50 PM. This was a night that would change Ilion High School's history; a fire was about to destroy the school building.

Auditorium

The blaze was believed to have started on the third floor above the auditorium. Damaged areas of the building included the auditorium, girls gymnasium, 25 classrooms, and the administrative offices on the second floor. Many valuable records and musical instruments were ruined also. New language labs that were installed in February were completely destroyed.

Many students and parents watched as the fire did its work. They silently stood in small groups while the firemen tried their best to stop the blaze. Two firemen, Robert Day and Burton Seymour, were injured. Day was soon released from the hospital, but Fireman Seymour lost his life to the fire. The new auditorium was named the Burton T. Seymour Auditorium in honor of his heroics while fighting the blaze.

More than 300 students returned to the school after the blaze and did what they could to help recover from this terrible incident. While cleaning up the mess, many students wondered about graduation and told to others that this blackened area used to be their homeroom. It was a time of total confusion at IHS.