An explosion rocked the sleepy town of Maddock in the early hours of the morning on January 7th. As people jumped out of their beds to see what had happened, a hellish glow could be discerned over the north side of town. Fire spread rapidly aided by a strong north wind and the drought that had plagued the small town during the past year. The citizenry responded with a heroic effort to save lives and contain the blaze but before the night was over more than a few lives had been lost and much of the town gutted.

Relief tents were set up on the Reformed Church property for those left homeless; local farms and ranches untouched by the fire also donated food and supplies in the relief effort. For several days afterwards, the shocked townsfolk continued to battle the burning embers and retrieve bodies from the ashes.

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