"William Street in all its history never experienced such a busy afternoon. For several hours, it was one constant din of gongs, clanging of bells, clatter of hoofs, roar of engines, moaning and shrieking of siren and whistles. Hardly would the department whiz, roar and clatter in answer to an alarm than the parade of apparatus would come scattering back, and hardly back would the equipment be than, out it would go charging, clattering, cracking, a dusty noisy, hurly, burly, of existing confusion. The process was repeated over and over again going east every time, once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times, eight times until the novelty of seeing the wheels go around, the engines belch smoke and firemen clinging to brass railings on tilting wagons, wriggling meanwhile in gum coats and helmets became customary. Wichita had twelve fires that day, compliments of a fire bug who was later apprehended."

A month later a conflagration occurred when the Lyceum Theater located at Topeka and William burned. The alarm was received at 3:30 a.m. on April 1, 1913. Upon arrival, the theater was burning fiercely, blazing embers as big as peck baskets were being blown by the wind to involve other structures. At one time, as many as seven other buildings were involved. A change in the wind direction plus the efforts of the Wichita Fire Department averted a greater loss.