Dear Mom, Pop & Girls,

You might have read about the fire we had at Kamiseya Friday morning. I was working at the time and was lucky not to be at the wrong spot at the wrong time. I am enclosing a newspaper article from a Japanese newspaper.

The death toll is now at 14* with about 20 in the hospital. I knew a few of the guys that died. One of them was my division officer. He went back in to try to save some important papers. Most of the guys that died died from smoke. Some of them were burned badly after they were already dead. The fire started in the attic above an incinerator room in the building and burned into an air conditioning duct before the alarm was sounded. I helped handle five hoses and helped guys out from the smoke.

Well, just this short letter to tell everyone I am OK.

As ever,

Den

P.S. I usually did about half of my work in this burned down building. The circled area [in his accompanying newspaper clipping] is part of a wall that is still standing – Den. M

* Final death toll stands at 12.

Above is from the then CTM3 Dennis Gerfen and was donated to the NSG/NCVA Command Display.

Source: US NCVA Special Publication, Kamiseya 40th Anniversary Fire Memorial