Our Lady of the Angels school fire

[catlady1962]

Can you pm me the arsonist's name? I swear I'll take it to the grave.....

Me too, please!

I am obsessed with this story! Thank all of you for you research! I have been glued to your posts!

[Timeo Vitae]

Me too- too, please? Never fear. I have no one else to tell that shares in this interest. I would be very grateful and very discreet. Thanks in advance.

[Alanwench]

Around Thanksgiving, Beverly Burda's father was cutting wood. He had been laid off from his job. Somehow, while cutting wood, a piece of metal got imbedded in one of his eyes. After surgery, the fire took place. He was released from the hospital to attend his daughter's funeral and extensively warned not to cry because the salt from his tears might blind him permanently. He replied, "God's will be done."

[Alanwench]

Mr. Burda is wearing a protective device over his injured eye.Attachment 42943

[maryd]

Around Thanksgiving, Beverly Burda's father was cutting wood. He had been laid off from his job. Somehow, while cutting wood, a piece of metal got imbedded in one of his eyes. After surgery, the fire took place. He was released from the hospital to attend his daughter's funeral and extensively warned not to cry because the salt from his tears might blind him permanently. He replied, "God's will be done."

I just read that article last night, Alan!!! That one really tore at my heartstrings.

[pkstracy]

Alan it goes into detail about that in TSWTA as I said get tissues ready when you read it.

[Dr. Fishhead]

Beverly looked alot like her mom from what I can tell.

[MoonRabbit]

I never had heard of this tragic story! How terribly sad. Poor children and adults! So far the young arsonist sounds like he
was very disturbed. He was a child of a stepfather raping his stepdaughter according to what I read?
When the boy was left alone in a room after being questioned about his role in the fire with a two way mirror in the room he would masturbate while looking at Magazine pages and he was observed. Why would the kid do that after being asked if he had started the fire?

As a child I was terrified of fires due to that old film "Might Joe Young". It showed a building fire and it always scared
the hell out of me!
This is a real horror story! So many people killed. Such innocent children!

[MoonRabbit]

Thanks Alan, also in To sleep with Angels it has his full confession in it. Hearing that he was in Vietnam, I wonder what war crimes he committed there, I have a feeling there are unsolved crimes, fires that he may have done later on in life.

Sht that is spooky!

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42949 These photos were provided by grieving parents the night of Dec. 1. Not every victim is depicted.

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42951 Thick, toxic smoke pours from the building as firefighters try to find a way to subdue the flames and get inside the building. Before the fire, 7th grade student John Raymond was pleased that the sun was out and the temperature was warmer. That meant that he could take the bicycle he received for Confirmation out for a spin in the neighborhood. Instead, Raymond had to dive out of the second story window (the opposite side of the building depicted here) in a desperate attempt to live. Raymond sustained a hip injury.

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42952 Firefighter Richard Scheidt carries out the lifeless body of 7th Grade student John Jajkowski. Note that the boy's shirt (formerly white) was stained solid black by the oily smoke. Jajkowski wanted to be a priest when he grew up, but he never had the chance.

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42953

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42954 Under the doorway, in the basement is where the arsonist lit the matches and tossed them into the trash barrel. The ceiling above Room 208 caved in during the fire.

[luckyinlove]

if anyone wants the name, PM me.

[Timeo Vitae]

Yes, that photo and then the photo of Beverly Burda were the two that initially drew me to what the OLA disaster was about. Thanks Alan for posting all the info. There is a picture of Beverly in a class photo from a few years back.....


http://www.olafire.com/Room204_1956Class.asp (She's in the middle of the room third row from the left between two boys.)

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42955 This was the layout of Room 212. The desks were crammed closer together by the time of the fire. Note the radiator and high window sills. These proved to be serious obstacles to the fourth grade students who were in Room 208 at the time of the fire.

[MoonRabbit]

Alanwench thanks so much for all that information! The children's photos are heartbreaking! These poor children
didn't get to live all due to a mean little rat.

[luckyinlove]

And i thought US public schools were crammed! It's hard to believe they had classes that large!

[luckyinlove]

My source contacted me again. Thank God. Supposed to call him tomorrow. I'll try to get all the info I can. I wish I had a bluetooth headset for my phone so I could take notes.

Can't wait to hear more!

[Dr. Fishhead]

Yes, that photo and then the photo of Beverly Burda were the two that initially drew me to what the OLA disaster was about. Thanks Alan for posting all the info. There is a picture of Beverly in a class photo from a few years back.....


http://www.olafire.com/Room204_1956Class.asp (She's in the middle of the room third row from the left between two boys.)

Beverly. Had she lived would have grown up gorgeous more than likely. Could have been a model.

[catlady1962]

Mary Virgilio, who was in room 211, immigrated with her mother from Italy to Chicago where her 4 brothers lived, is buried at Mt Carmel. According to Find-A-Grave, her location does not have a marker. That is beyond sad. Did the church help the familes with burial costs?

[pkstracy]

I think the church helped as much as it could, They had tons of donations pouring in that helped pay for treatments, gave money to help out with expenses and later on in life when the children grew up, that were injured, it helped to pay for medical bills and therapy that they still needed. In 1991 the bank decided to close the account due to no more funds pouring in or something like that, and divided up the money between a few victims or all of them from what I remember in the book. Can't remember if it covered burial costs as well . Will have to look through the book again.

[catlady1962]

Thanks, pksgigi. I have the book on order.

[Dr. Fishhead]

If anyone gets a message from me. Confirm it. I hope I was able to send out messages to more than one person at a time properly.

I'll be back later.

[Dr. Fishhead]

Sent out correction PM's. Typing and talking at the same time is not my forte.

Plus, my brain has been on overload all day.

[pkstracy]

So when I had typed I had the name of the guy, in an earlier post but not going to pm anyone until it was confirmed, Todd told me who it was, so my findings have been proven, about P.P.

[Dr. Fishhead]

Perfect initials for him right? Cause, he should have been flushed down the toilet along fucking time ago. Before he did this.

[Dr. Fishhead]

Yeah, Gigi. He totally looks like the little bastard that he is. Right?

When I was looking through the photos before I even knew. I saw him and just 'knew' anyways. That look. Like he has no soul.

Maria DeGiulio was in that room too. He also killed her.

[pkstracy]

Yep I agree Todd no soul at all, I pegged him too but wasn't sure. and I couldn't find him in the pic again until you pointed it out.

[Dr. Fishhead]

Maria's find a grave. Bet she had no clue she was in a room where the little son of a bitch would take her life two years later was.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=5329350&

She was gorgeous. Didn't even look her age. She seriously looked like she was 15/16 years old.

[catlady1962]

Wow! You are all awesome! Now I need to go back and re-read the confession!

[pkstracy]

Thanks now I am looking for his obit. To find more about the f bomb

[pkstracy]

I know his ssn number and where he lived Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles, California P.A.P are his intials

[Dr. Fishhead]

I wonder if he set any other fires out in LA?

Hmm.

Also. Is 666 anywhere in his S.S. number. LOL.

[pkstracy]

Also he had two sons, seems one died the age of 24 in 2010

[Dr. Fishhead]

I wonder if they were fire bugs like him.

I checked the names of the kids that were in the classroom in 3rd grade with him. Nancy Smid, Marilyn Reeb, and George Cannella were also setting with their murderer.

[pkstracy]

I wonder if they were fire bugs like him.

I checked the names of the kids that were in the classroom in 3rd grade with him. Nancy Smid, Marilyn Reeb, and George Cannella were also setting with their murderer.

[pkstracy]

Thanks, pksgigi. I have the book on order.

So sorry just saw your post you are welcome

[catlady1962]

If I re-read the confession correctly, at some point the little bastard's mother called the "grandfather" (aka the bastard's biological father) who I assume lived with them because she used watching television (the three of them) as an alibi for one of the other fires.

I find that beyond creepy that the grandfather/bio father was even in the picture, especially if the stepdad who adopted the bastard
knew of the circumstances surrounding the bastard's conception. I wonder if the bastard himself or the school had any idea about it too. So many questions!

[pkstracy]

Yep a lot of questions, someone mentioned to me that maybe the boy burned the school and the church was covering it up and not have his name known is because maybe he was molested at the school by someone, and they were afraid he would squeal... Thus why his name was kept out of things. don't know if that could be true but just a theory

[Dr. Fishhead]

It's definitely a great theory.

Well, I'm out for a while.

[Alanwench]

Mary Virgilio planned to move back to Italy and get married after she graduated from 8th Grade at OLA. Her brothers had settled in Chicago ahead of Mary and her mother. A girl who survived the fire said that Mary started laughing hysterically. Somehow her fear manifested itself with the hysterical laughter. Mary was identified by the gold chain she wore.

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42968 The nun in Room 211 was Sister Helaine. She was severely burned and almost didn't survive.People are unsure as to how she got out of the room. Some firefighters speculated that she was literally blown out of the window due to the roof collapsing and sending an enormous volume of superheated air throughout the second floor. No firefighter recalled helping Sister Helaine down the ladder (rescue), so I surmise that she was blown out of the room.

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42969 Carol was the 13-year-old sister of Dolores Labuda. Three years before the fire, Carol's father died. Her mother decided to go into business with Carol's uncle in an Italian restaurant. That was a gutsy move for a single parent, but Mrs. Gazzola had to support herself and her daughter. Dolores remembers her sister as a sweet, kind girl who liked Buddy Holly and popular music. Carol was the flower girl for Dolores' wedding. Since she was born much later in her parents' marriage, Dolores helped with her upbringing and felt as if Carol was her little girl.
In October, 1958, Carol and her mother moved to an apartment on Ohio Avenue, close to the school. She used to walk younger children to school and loved to babysit. Carol was especially fond of babies. The day of the fire, Carol didn't want to go to school, which was unusual. Her mother reminded her that if she wasn't ill, she had to go to school. Mrs. Gazzola was tormented by her decision to send her to school. The last time Dolores saw Carol was the Saturday before the fire. She had to take several city buses to the South Side of Chicago, where Dolores, her husband and daughters lived. One of Dolores' daughters was named after Carol and luckily, Carol got to spend lots of time with the children. The daughter named after Carol had a dream after the fire that Carol was in a glass coffin, wearing a white dress. She reassured her niece that she was OK. Dolores feels that Carol (she calls her Carol Ann) really contacted her daughter. Who knows? It isn't for me to say. Carol was identified by a burned necklace she was wearing and one of her shoes. Her body had multiple second and third degree burns. She was so charred that one leg and one arm was missing.

[Alanwench]

Carol Ann was a dear friend. She lived down the block and across the street from us on Christiana off of Chicago Avenue. I knew Carol from the time she was seven years old. I was nine when I moved into the neighborhood. She was such a sweet girl, sometimes shy, and always ready to smile and laugh. We children were horrified at Carol's death. My friends, Marie Di Cola, Annette Greco, and me, Loretta Adornetto, never got over the loss. This summer my nephew came in from Edmonton Alberta Canada. Carol babysat with him sometimes when I couldn't. He wanted to visit her grave and we went to Queen of Heaven Cemetery and paid a visit. We both felt such a heavy sad feeling at the gravesite. I have always prayed for Carol and the other children and nuns who parished. The old neighborhood was never the same after the fire, and we all drifted away and unfortunately apart. As the anniversary draws near again, it brings back all the memories of the fun we had together as friends, and the terrible memories of the fire, and the extreme loss we still feel. I know Carol is with God and that she has a wonderful place because she was a truly wonderful girl.
Rest in peace, my friend.
-- (Loretta L. Alexander, Friend)

---

I was only 10 years old when this tragic fire happened. I remember walking home from Lafayette school hearing and seeing all of the fire trucks going by. When I got home, my grandma told me what was going on. My grandparents and my mom were very upset and frightened. You see, my mom had very young cousins in that school. It was a very sad day for all of us even though three of her four cousins survived. Before the fire, I remember going to Carol Ann's house with my mom to visit with her and my mom's Aunt Mary. Carol Ann was so nice to me, she let me play with her dolls and we had fun and laughed a lot. I was looking forward to seeing Carol Ann and her family at my grandma's house on Christmas. I never did see her again but I have thought about her often through the years and especially every December 1st. I know she is resting peacefully in heaven with her mom and dad and does not have to live with the painful memory of that tragic December afternoon. With love, Joanne (Surlak) Williams, 2nd cousin to Carol Ann.
-- (Joanne Williams, Cousin

[Alanwench]

"Joseph was almost through making a Christmas present for his family out of letters cut from a cereal box and glued onto a backing. It read: "I, Joseph, promise to do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to be square and to" ... it was the Cub Scout Promise. He never finished it." Joseph safely escaped the burning school, but wasn't aware that his younger sister had also safely made it outside. He went back into the school to find her.

Attachment 42970

[Alanwench]

My fondest memory of my lovely cousin was when she told me that she was going to go to Lake Geneva with my girlfriend and me, and I told her that she was a little girl and could not come with us. Well, needless to say she came with us and we had a great time. We played miniature golf and soaked up the sun. When we were heading back home she looked at me and said "did you ever have any doubts that I would come with you, after all you are my favorite cousin and I love you." She was such a sweet and lovely little girl that knew how to charm everyone she came into contact with. Our family was very blessed to have had her for the short time that we did. God gave us an angel for 10 years.
Another memory I would like to share is a time when Annette came to visit. She asked my father if she could have this white stuffed cat. What my father failed to tell her was that it was mine, given to me by a boyfriend. When I found out he had given it to her, I remember asking her for the cat back. She came over to me and placed her hands on my face and said, "but you know that you want me to have it because you want to share it with your favorite cousin, who you love very much." Now how could anyone refuse that. Another memory I have is of Annette and her brother, Sam, sitting on the floor with a picture album. She was telling him who all of the people were in the photos. For the ones who had passed away she would tell him about them and say that they were with God now, but that they still looked out for all of us. I believe that was the only time that I saw her brother Sam sit still for any length of time. She even knew how to charm him.
-- (Antoinette Fabiani, Cousin)

---

When Annette was in the 3rd grade and I was home on leave from the Navy, she asked me if I would come to school that afternoon because she wanted her classmates to see her brother in uniform. What I didn't know was, I was to be her topic for show and tell.
-- (Brother)

---

I really did not know my aunt Annette, but the stories of the fire is all I ever heard about. I know none of the children deserved to go through this tragedy. But we all know that they are in a better place. In the recent past my Father has been keeping me updated on what had happened. Like this web page for one. It ills me to know that there are people in this world that do horrific things to innocent people. Even in this day in age we have the same kind of tragedies. Some get solved, others are just put away in a file. I am glad that this web site is here. It keeps everyone that is involved, directly or indirectly, informed. Thank you DAD for making me aware that I had a sweet Aunt. Now she is one of the angels that are probably looking down on me and my daughter Rachel day to day.
-- (Daniel LaMantia, Nephew)

---

Annette was just the most beautiful girl. I remember her telling of her trip to Arizona, she spoke of how large her sister's bedroom was, being larger than the classroom. She told us this just before the fire. I found out from the LaMantia's that this was the trip she took for her sister's wedding. I still miss her and I guess I always will. Always, John.
-- (John Raymond, Friend)


Attachment 42971

[catlady1962]

I still do not understand why Mary has the only unmarked grave. One should have been provided by either OLA or the archdiocese. Maybe her family did not want one?

When was the OLA memorial dedicated at Queen of Heaven? It is spooky that all of the children buried near the base have the
exact same markers. Makes me wonder if those plots and markers were paid for by OLA or the archdiocese. And wouldn't it have seemed more fitting for the the nuns to be buried near the majority of their students at that cemetery rather than at Mt Carmel?

[Alanwench]

Attachment 42972Frances belonged to the Royal-Airs Drum and Bugle Corps and she was deeply missed when she died. I was a member of the Color Guard and Frances was our Color Guard Captain. As a survivor of the OLA fire and as a member of the corps, we (the corps) always remembered all of the OLA victims on the Anniversary of the fire by playing taps at Queen of Heaven Cemetery. Frances was one of three members of the corps that died as a result of the fire (Roger Ramlow-bugler and Valerie Thoma-color guard member, were the other two). Our prayers are with you Frances.
-- (Carol Woodall, Friend)

---

I remember Frances for her involvement in school activities. She was elected Vice President of Room 211, and was on the 8th grade class council, which was involved in planning events for the class. She was quite involved, and was always coming up with ideas. She was a real leader, and recognized by her class. She was very outgoing and well liked.
Frances was one of three girls who came back in the room from some type of school assistance, and told Sister Helaine that there was smoke in the hall. Karen Hobik and Janet Delaria were the others. I sat by the door, and saw the light smoke in the hall. Both Frances and Karen died, but could have survived if they did not come back into the hall to advise us of the fire. All three girls were very brave. Ed Glanz
-- (Ed Glanz, Friend)

---

When I was about 3-4 years old, I remember going through a bottom dresser drawer full of family photos with my mother. We came across a 4 x 5 black and white picture of Frances. My mother told me that Frances was either my cousin or her cousin (I don't remember that detail) and had just died in a fire. At the time, it didn't seem to mean much. We lived in Miami, and I had never met Frances. My mother told me that my sister, Linda, had, and that they were about the same age.
It has always seemed odd to me that, even at 4 years old, I can picture us sitting on the floor with all those photos scattered around and her singling out that one to show me. My guess is that she was doing that right after learning of the fire and was going through the drawer to find the picture and I was just tagging along.
About ten years ago, my Aunt Marie found the book "To Sleep with the Angels" and bought several copies. My mother gave me hers, and it's on my bookshelf. I've read it three times. My sister is a judge, and I'm a scientist now. Imagine what might have been if not for that fire.
-- (William Jones, Cousin)