Mr. Arnoldi of Lanark thought a bomb had gone off in the Lanark Laundromat that day in May of 1975 even though he was 40 feet away. Arnoldi was sitting in his car at a stop sign when the building exploded in front of him. Mrs. Carol Ballantyne, also of Lanark, was just leaving the laundromat when the explosion occurred to get some soap from her car. Thankfully she was the only one in the building. She was immediately taken to the Perth Hospital for burns on her legs.
Owner of the laundromat Mr. Wilmer Barr was relieved that it had not happened earlier as the laundromat was full. He admitted “someone would have gotten it” had it happened an hour previous. Barr had no idea how much damage was caused in monetary terms, but gave $20,000 as a minimum figure. The Lanark Fire Dept. was there within minutes– and because there was only a short burst of flames, it was put out in minutes.
The exact cause of the explosion was never determined, and the blast was felt over half a mile away.
Carleton Place was always at the aid of Lanark Village. Does anyone know who this Carleton Place firemen was?
Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place
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