Original 1947 Associated Press wire photo measuring 6 x 8¼ inches. The original caption is printed directly on the front of the photograph. This dramatic image shows Philadelphia firefighters pouring water over the debris after a powerful chemical explosion ripped through a pharmaceutical laboratory on October 24, 1947. The blast tore away sections of the building, leaving crews to battle the aftermath while police reported multiple injuries. A striking documentary photograph capturing the response to a major industrial accident in postwar Philadelphia. From the archive of a Pittsburgh area newspaper.
