On September 17, 1917 at approximately three in the morning, a fire of unknown origin erupted in the middle of the south lumberyard. It was not until noon, with 2,000 men battling the fire, that it was contained. Fortunately, it was one of those typical fall days with no wind otherwise the entire plant would have been in jeopardy. The final result was that 60 million board feet of lumber was destroyed. If there was one bright spot, it was that the lumber that was destroyed was deemed of such low grade as to be only suitable for the box factory. However, it was still a considerable loss to Red River, as the value set at two million dollars. Insurance adjusters, however, placed the loss at $800,000. It was determined the fire was of suspicious origin, no doubt started by an arsonist. While an investigation did not provide any real clues as to the individuals responsible, phosphorous bombs were found on the property.