1929 photo of the cabin of the Timber Company Villanueva, on the corner of Alameda and Liberty. It was in the fire in this building, on 14 November 1933, Antonio Secchi find death and glory.
In the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins, the height of the Abate Molina and Liberty streets, is in a curious installation central floe surrounded by a colorful flower garden, known as the Italian or Pompa Italy Pompa, there by the Latin American Union Station Metro.
With obvious allusions to the symbolism home Italic honors the 11 th Fire Company of Santiago de Chile, known as Italy Pompa. This company was founded in 1914 by initiative of the Italian city-Federicci Ricardo Botto, taking the number 11 which had vacated a previous fire company founded in 1893, but two decades later dissolved for disciplinary reasons. His idea was that the group was composed exclusively of Italian citizens or descendants of them.
was the November 14, 1933, when the company was close to turning 20 years of existence, the tragedy happened, one that the fire enlutaría Santiago handing a new martyr to his glory, but a mirror over righteousness and service. This event encourages the presence of the monument in this place, near another anniversary, these days.
THE FIRE IN 1933 THE ALAMEDA
In the evening of that day of spring, were holding a meeting at the headquarters of the Pompa Italy, located then in street American Union, to adopt the budget for next year. For that reason, the room was filled with firefighters and officers.
About 22 hours, attendees were aware of the presence of a sinister glow a few blocks away, by the Alameda de las Delicias, so it is immediately put on alert.
The place was consumed by fire was the barrack of Villanueva Lumber Company, located in a large two-story building located in Alameda 2775, just at the corner of Liberty Street. This company belonged to the industrial Etelvino González Villanueva and was one of the largest in its field throughout Chile. With about 15 meters, the building had been acquired from the Wood Malvoa few years earlier, in 1927, and the interior had not only its highly combustible material warehouses, especially timber and lingual raulí national, but also expensive machinery acquired in Europe and other equipment.
to confirmed the news of the fire, Capt. Humberto Raglianti decided not to waste time and sent directly to the damaged site to members of "11", still dressed as civilians, among whom was the young volunteer Dachenna Alberto Secchi.
Upon arriving there found that the fire had taken hold of practically all the ground floor of the building and began to advance to the second, while hundreds of onlookers came to watch the infernal scene. The order and security officials trying to keep people away from danger area.
Access to the cabin was closed by a metal curtain. According to the records consist of guard, and Lieutenant Wenceslao Secchi believed hear moans and cries for help from inside the building, so they tried desperately to throw or bend the curtain, have attacked the shoulder shots. Someone came with an ax and so managed to break the lock that closed, making it up and open access to the building in flames. Behind the curtain there was a truck and hit by the fire and flames spread throughout the plant.
FIRST DEATH MARTYR OF "LA 11"
Raglianti Captain gave the order to organize in groups and wear uniforms, so that the volunteers were and became the headquarters shift. As Secchi was the first group to leave, was also first in return. But as continue to report that there were people trapped inside, a half hour of fighting the flames, many volunteers entered the building.
Raglianti warned the danger of this decision and ordered the departure of the firefighters, because the second floor and was being devoured by fire.
But just at that moment, part of the upper and the facade of the barracks collapsed into the street, landing on the volunteers who had not reached to leave or who were in front, including the heroic and teammate Antonio Secchi Deuville. To make matters worse, burning debris cut or blocked many of the hoses and electrical system collapsed building began releasing dangerous shock that threatened the lives of the rescuers of the companies that attended the incident.
In about 15 minutes, managed to be drawn from the ruins of volunteers injured. However, it was found injuries were too severe Secchi: his face had been destroyed, his skull had been fractured Depressed and also had traumatic amputation of a foot, plus the extensive burns. It happened that, while pointing to the fire hose, one of the street lights (we assume that observable in the photograph reproduced for the booth) had fallen on top dragged by the crumbling of the facade, trapping and ripping the life before achieve backward. The injuries were such that it could be recognized by their peers. Could only be identified in the Public Assistance, where it was found that was already dead when it was removed from the rubble.
His remains were received by his superiors, being taken to the funeral at the same barracks Pompa Italy, and bouncing his first martyr. Ironically, when the volunteers were able to control the fire around 2 am on day 15, returned to headquarters to mourn his dead comrade water and axes.
From there, his coffin was taken to the headquarters, where he received a wake and then the funeral of a national hero. His remains were cremated and committed to the Mutual Relief Society Italia.
Portrait of Antonio Secchi Dachenna (Source image: vigilidelfuoco.cl)
commemorative plaque installed in the building that currently occupies the space formerly used by the stricken cabin, in front of the Monument to the Italian Pompa. It was installed by the institution in 2008, the anniversary of this tragedy.
CATONNI And GIAVERINI, the martyrs of 1991
For a long time, Secchi was the only martyr of the Pompa Italy, until the tragic year of 1991 he killed two other heroes.
Cattoni The volunteer Claudio Arriagada, First Captain of the Squadra Giovanile , suffered a serious accident 20 December 1990, when a heavy cornice collapsed on the company personnel extinguished a fire at the Cathedral in Chacabuco, as far as he went from one minor incident reported near Morandé with currency. The fatal accident was recorded by the cameras of a TV station. Ironically, that day the company welcomed the Awards to the Evidence for older volunteers.
After several days of terrible agony, Cattoni died on January 3 following the Davila Clinic. He was 33 years, was an engineer and father of a beautiful family.
A few months after this tragedy, June 7, 1991, the volunteer Giaverini Faúndez Carlo dies in an accident worthy of the most cruel twist of fate, when he fell on a heavy lift stairway, which was locked to four meters high. Giaverini had started to climb the ladder to release the lift for some exercises in the Parque O'Higgins, between 7th and 11th Companies, which were being recorded by a television crew. It was right in this action when suddenly unlocked the elevator with two officers inside, and beat him down quickly, as if the demon of misfortune have blown upon it.
At least the agony of Giaverini was shorter than his comrade Catonni, perhaps the only consolation to his comrades and loved ones. Died a few hours at the Hospital of Neurosurgery, at 59 years of age. Only four days earlier had received the Award for Evidence, by his five years at the company.
Portrait of Claudio Cattoni (Source image: vigilidelfuoco.cl)
Portrait of Carlo Giaverini (Source image: vigilidelfuoco.cl)
THE MONUMENT OF ALAMEDA
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Secchi, and accumulating and three martyrs, Pompa Italy decided to organize with the Municipality of Santiago to install the memorial column of Alameda, next to the tragic fire of 1933.
The monument was solemnly opened on November 14, 1993. It is a polygonal metal column, about eight feet tall. In the upper part were observed colors of the Italian flag, and its central part there are two commemorative plaques referring to the historical site that represents it, the place offered up Secchi his life.
The flower garden surrounding the facility had, as our memories, the colors of the Italian flag. For some reason, however, white flowers are yellow now, so most semejaría flag Bolivia and Ethiopia. Two marble slabs, however, remind us that we are facing a monument to Pompa Italy: one with the names of the martyrs (which we hope will be only three) and another playing the following verses of Ruben Dario :
Gloria him who succumb in the struggle,
Valiant, sublime, courageous. Gloria
to that that the duty set,
saves lives, wealth, home.
And the memory of true soul mate
In the virile firefighter
never, never be erased.
Year after year, the Santiago Fire Department and the brave Italian Pompa perform ceremonies around the monument, celebrating the memory of their fallen volunteers in this noble task.
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