when was the fire that destroyed military records
National Personnel Records Center fire The National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973,[1] also referred to as the 1973 National Archives fire was a fire that occurred at the United States National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in Overland, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, on July 12, 1973, striking a severe blow to the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States.[1] NPRC, the custodian of military service records, lost approximately 16â€“18 million official military personnel records as a result of the fire.[2]