Hook, line and sinker (Part 1 of 2)

Sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., fire crews were notified of a blaze in the First Ward.

"The teams all turned out promptly, and on arrival at the Central Depot, found that some persons had built a big bonfire, evidently for the purpose of getting up an April Fool alarm," the Houston Daily Post reported on April 1, 1883.

But while firefighters showed up to put out that fire, another fire alarm sounded. This time, the blaze was in the Third Ward.

"This turned out to be the truck-house of Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, which had caught fire during the absence of the driver and team," the paper reported.

Uh-oh. Residents and fire crews rushed back to the old building, which had burned down pretty quickly. A new fire truck inside was ruined.

"This truck was $3,500 ($67,000 today) when purchased, and had an extension ladder that could be raised to the height of seventy-two feet," according to the paper. "It has as complete a rig as any truck in the state."

So why did the Hook and Ladder Company building burn down? Find out Friday.