'Burning river' loses sting in Cleveland 50 years after fire

Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River's most famous fire, a plucky new generation of Cleveland artists and entrepreneurs has turned the old jokes into inspiration and forged decades of embarrassment into a fiery brand of local pride.

"Everybody knows Cuyahoga County for the burning river. That happened how many years ago?" said Johnny Rowan, manager of Burning River Coffee in nearby Lakewood. "It was a big joke of the country — heck, the world — for how long? And now people look at us with pride. We've taken it, we've owned it and we've turned it into something positive."

Rowan's is one of 90 active businesses registered with the state that have "burning river" in their names, the bulk formed in the past five years. The legacy of that June 22, 1969, blaze has been embraced by coffee shops, beer makers, songwriters, poets, sports teams, festivals, endurance races, podcasts, candles and jams.

Firefighter Greg Geracioti maneuvers the Anthony J. Celebrezze down the Cuyahoga River, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Cleveland. The fire boat extinguished hot spots on a railroad bridge torched by burning fluids and debris on the Cuyahoga River in 1969. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Despite its symbolism, the 1969 fire was hardly the first on the horrifically polluted river. More than a dozen fires broke out over the years, including a deadly 1912 blaze that killed five, and a 1952 fire that caused more than $1.3 million in damage.

The 1969 fire began when a spark from a passing train landed on a floating oil and garbage slick, and lasted less than an hour. No pictures exist of the flames. But the blaze atop the Cuyahoga became iconic and led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and contributed to passage of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Somewhere over the past decade or so, the city stopped trying to erase the memory of the fire and began to embrace its many lessons, said Mayor Frank Jackson.

Jacob Tuel, owner of Burning River Guitars, repairs the neck of a guitar, Monday, June 10, 2019, in Akron, Ohio. Tuel named his guitar shop after the 1969 blaze on the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

"You know what it is? You have to accept yourself," he said. "They view it not as the river catching fire, but the way they view it is as the beginning of something. It became the starting point."

Things got worse for Cleveland before they got better.

In 1972, adding proverbial fuel to the fire, then-Mayor Ralph Perk accidentally set his own hair on fire while using a blowtorch at a public ceremony. That same year, Randy Newman released "Burn On," singing wistfully that he'd always remember Cleveland because "the Cuyahoga River goes smoking through my dreams."

Jacob Tuel, owner of Burning River Guitars, repairs the neck on a guitar, Monday, June 10, 2019, in Akron, Ohio. Tuel named his guitar shop after the 1969 blaze on the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Decades of economic hardship, social turmoil and famously abysmal luck in sports followed. That losing streak ended when the Cleveland Cavaliers and Akron-born LeBron James brought home a national championship in 2016.

"There was a time when Clevelanders were what I call clinically depressed. No matter how much the sun was shining, there was this humdrum attitude about ourselves," Jackson said. "We've overcome that clinically depressed attitude and mentality to be a city that has an expectation of winning."

That new upbeat view began early for Cleveland-based Great Lakes Brewing Co., founded in 1988. Co-founder Patrick Conway said Burning River was one of the first beers the company released.

Jacob Tuel, owner of Burning River Guitars, repairs the neck on a guitar, Monday, June 10, 2019, in Akron, Ohio. Tuel named his guitar shop after the 1969 blaze on the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

"It was self-deprecating, it was cheeky and we felt 1969 was a different time," Conway said. "We never would have chosen the name if we had thought the river was still being treated as a sewer or if we felt there was a pejorative feel about the river and the city and the name."

Great Lakes sponsors an annual Burning River Fest, too, added to anniversary events this week celebrating the city's precious clean-water resources. Those include a Cuyahoga River so clean that, in March, the EPA declared its fish safe to eat.

There's no limit on use of "burning river" by businesses, since you can't trademark common descriptive phrases.

Jacob Tuel, owner of Burning River Guitars, repairs the neck on a guitar, Monday, June 10, 2019, in Akron, Ohio. Tuel named his guitar shop after the 1969 blaze on the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Jake Tuel named his guitar repair shop in the nearby city of Akron after the blaze.

"I feel that it's kind of a message of rebirth, kind of like a river coming back, an ecology coming back, business coming back," Tuel said of the name Burning River Guitars. "So I thought it had a nice little association with it, as far as our business goes, because our business is guitar restoration."

Gene Natale Jr., who owns Burning River Entertainment, said more clients are choosing the backdrop of Cleveland for their wedding photos.

The Anthony J. Celebrezze rests on the Cuyahoga River, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Cleveland. The fire boat extinguished hot spots on a railroad bridge torched by burning fluids and debris on the Cuyahoga River in 1969. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

"Somehow the way it entered the public consciousness was, 'We're better than you because of our river,'" Natale said. "When you bring up the years when things were miserable, people have a lot more genuine pride in Cleveland. Calling back those days of everyone making fun of Cleveland makes everyone have even more pride."

Malina Rauschenfels, of Burning River Baroque, said her feelings about her social justice music group's name are so strong that she includes them in grant applications. The artist-run ensemble specializes in interactive Baroque performances.

"You find it's very easy for people to look on the past and say, 'How could they have done that?'" she said. "We try to twist that and say look how far we've come or how not far we've come. How can this thing that we look at in history seem so clear to us, and yet our current space in time seems so fuzzy or seems so different? It really isn't. There are the same lessons to learn."

Johnny Rowan stands outside Burning River Coffee, Friday, June 14, 2019, in Lakewood, Ohio. Rowan’s is one of 90 active businesses registered with the state that have “burning river” in their names, inspired by the Cuyahoga River’s most famous fire. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Bottles of Burning River beer make their way down the assembly line in the bottling process at the Great Lakes Brewing Company, Monday, June 17, 2019, in Cleveland. The "burning river" in the beer's name is inspired by the Cuyahoga River’s most famous fire. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Posters are for sale featuring Burning River Pale Ale at the gift shop at the Great Lakes Brewing Company, Monday, June 17, 2019, in Cleveland. Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River's famous fire, a plucky new generation of Cleveland artists and entrepreneurs has turned the old jokes about the “mistake on the lake” into inspiration and forged the decades of embarrassment into a fiery brand of local pride. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Jacob Tuel, owner of Burning River Guitars, poses for a photo in his workshop, Monday, June 10, 2019, in Akron, Ohio. Tuel named his guitar shop after the 1969 blaze on the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Firemen maintain the Anthony J. Celebrezze as it floats down the Cuyahoga River, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Cleveland. The fire boat extinguished hot spots on a railroad bridge torched by burning fluids and debris on the Cuyahoga River in 1969. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

The Cuyahoga River winds it way toward Cleveland, Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River's famous fire, a plucky new generation of Cleveland artists and entrepreneurs has turned the old jokes about the “mistake on the lake” into inspiration and forged the decades of embarrassment into a fiery brand of local pride. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

A man fishes off a dock on the Cuyahoga River, Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Cleveland. Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River's famous fire, a plucky new generation of Cleveland artists and entrepreneurs has turned the old jokes about the “mistake on the lake” into inspiration and forged the decades of embarrassment into a fiery brand of local pride. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

The Anthony J. Celebrezze turns on its hoses in front of Fire Station 21 on the Cuyahoga River, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Cleveland. Fire Station 21 battles the fires on the Cuyahoga River. The Celebrezze extinguished hot spots on a railroad bridge torched by burning fluids and debris on the Cuyahoga in 1969. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

A worker shrink wraps cases of Burning River beer at The Great Lakes Brewing Company, Monday, June 17, 2019, in Cleveland. The "burning river" in the beer's name is inspired by the Cuyahoga River’s most famous fire. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

The Anthony J. Celebrezze rests near Fire Station 21 on the Cuyahoga River, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Cleveland. Fire Station 21 battles the fires on the Cuyahoga River. The Celebrezze extinguished hot spots on a railroad bridge torched by burning fluids and debris on the Cuyahoga in 1969. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Kylie Augustine, left, and Ashlie Prosky paddle in kayaks on the Cuyahoga River, Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Cleveland. Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River's famous fire, a plucky new generation of Cleveland artists and entrepreneurs has turned the old jokes about the “mistake on the lake” into inspiration and forged the decades of embarrassment into a fiery brand of local pride. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Johnny Rowan stands outside Burning River Coffee, Friday, June 14, 2019, in Lakewood, Ohio. Rowan’s is one of 90 active businesses registered with the state that have “burning river” in their names, inspired by the Cuyahoga River’s most famous fire. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Burning River Pepper Jam is displayed on a shelf at the Great Lakes Brewing Company gift shop, Monday, June 17, 2019, in Cleveland. The "burning river" in the jam's name is inspired by the Cuyahoga River’s most famous fire. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

DUMA, West Bank (AP) — Charred homes and cars dotting this hilltop village surrounded by olive groves are a searing reminder of Palestinians' vulnerability to rising violence from Israeli settlers.

The trail of wreckage along Duma's main road is the aftermath of a three-hour attack in mid-April that left 15 homes damaged by arson and six residents injured by bullets, the head of its village council said. It was one of nearly 800 settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, according to the U.N.

The burnt remains in Duma also highlight the village's limited resources to clean up and rebuild, let alone defend itself from future incursions, which seem inevitable as gun-toting settlers patrol the area roughly 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Jerusalem.

“We as the village of Duma ... do not have the power to defend ourselves,” said Suleiman Dawabsha, chairman of the village council for this community of more than 2,000 people. He estimated the attack caused five million shekels ($1.3 million) in damage.

The rampage on April 13 echoed a similar event that took place almost a decade ago. In 2015, three Palestinians from Duma were killed, including an 18 month-old baby, after settlers fire-bombed a home there. An Israeli man was later convicted for murder.

The latest attack against Duma was part of a wave of settler violence touched off by the death of a 14-year-old Israeli who went missing on the morning of April 12. Authorities found his body the next day and they have arrested a man from Duma who they say was connected to the boy's alleged murder.

On April 15, two days after the attack in Duma, two Palestinians were shot dead by settlers near the town of Aqraba, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. And in a related spurt of violence, a man was killed by Israeli fire on April 12 in nearby al-Mughayyir, though it remains unclear whether the fatal bullet was fired by a soldier or settler.

There have been 794 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since Oct. 7 — from stones thrown at passing cars to bullets fired at residents, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed by settlers in these attacks, it said.

Attacks by settlers aren't the only form of violence on the rise in the West Bank.

Since the war in Gaza began, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory, according to the Health Ministry based in Ramallah, which says the overwhelming majority have been shot dead by soldiers. Palestinians in the West Bank have killed nine Israelis, including five soldiers, since Oct. 7, according to U.N. data.

The war has undoubtedly heightened tensions between settlers and Palestinians. But Israeli human rights groups blame the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for fueling settler violence by promoting an ideology of total Israeli supremacy in the West Bank.

These groups say the Israeli army doesn't do enough to stop the violence, and even facilitates it in some cases by offering the settlers protection. The Israeli army said in a statement it tries to protect everyone living in the West Bank and that complaints about soldiers are investigated.

No one was killed in the attack on Duma, but residents described narrow escapes.

Ibrahim Dawabsha, a truck driver and father of four, said most of his family hid in the kitchen as settlers launched firebombs and set part of their home ablaze.

“My daughter was at her uncle’s house, there was no one there,” he said. “What they (might) do to her I don’t know.”

The heads of Duma and al-Mughayyir said Israeli troops arrived shortly after the attacks on their communities began but did little to intervene. Instead, they fired at Palestinians attempting to confront the settlers, these officials said.

A prominent Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, described it as an “umbrella of security” — a collaboration it says has become increasingly common since Israel's right-wing coalition government came to power in late 2022.

“As soon as the Palestinians try to protect themselves, they’re the ones who the army attacks,” said Ziv Stahl, Yesh Din’s director.

The United States has increased pressure on Israel to curb settler attacks in the West Bank, sanctioning some leaders, including a close ally of Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Dawabsha, the chief of Duma, does not believe the pressure campaign will be effective. “I am not pinning my hopes on the American government,” he said.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, territories Palestinians want as part of a future state. Settlers claim the West Bank, home to some 3 million Palestinians, is their biblical birthright.

Around 500,000 Israeli settlers live across hundreds of settlements and outposts in the West Bank. These segregated and tightly guarded communities vary in size and nature. Larger settlements are akin to Jerusalem’s sprawling suburbs, while smaller unauthorized outposts can consist of just a few caravans parked on a hilltop.

Outposts often receive tacit government support and sometimes they gain formal recognition — and receive funding — from the Israeli government.

Duma's geography makes it uniquely vulnerable to attack.

Overlooking Jordan and Israeli settlements to the east, the village is surrounded more closely by at least three outposts that the head of its council says have expanded gradually over the past decade. Duma is in a section of the West Bank known as Area B: Its civil affairs are governed by the Palestinian Authority, but the Israeli military is in charge of its security.

Palestinians largely consider the PA to be ineffective and corrupt, and it rarely opposes Israel's military operations in the territory.

Over the past year, settlers have cut off Duma's access to four vital springs and wells that surround the village by sabotaging roads and other infrastructure, according to residents.

In the days following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, more than 100 Bedouin Arabs that were living a nomadic lifestyle in the pastures south of Duma relocated to its fringes in search of greater safety and resources.

One of them, Ali Zawahiri, said his extended family relocated after settlers had begun burning their tents and stealing their livestock in apparent revenge attacks. The Bedouin Arabs living near Duma are one of 16 such communities in the West Bank that have relocated because of settler violence or threats since the start of 2023, according to Yesh Din.

"He is armed with a gun and I am just a person with nothing,” Zawahiri said.

An armed unit run by the Palestinian Authority that formerly patrolled the perimeter of West Bank towns at night halted operations shortly after the Gaza war broke out, when members of the force were kidnapped by settlers.

When asked how they might better defend themselves in the future, residents of Duma struggled to answer.

“What preparations?" said Ibrahim Dawabsha, whose truck — his main source of income — was burnt to ashes. "There are no preparations.”

Associated Press video journalist Imad Isseid contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show that some 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank. An earlier version said there were 2,000.

Follow AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Bedouin Khaled Arara, 54, and his son Ali, 7, pose for a picture on the road leading to his hamlet that was closed with rocks by Israeli settlers, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A Bedouin man attends his herd after he fled his home following a wave of attacks by Israeli settlers, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

An Israeli settlers' outpost on a hilltop, right, is seen from outskirts of the West Bank town of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Bedouins fled their homes on the far hillside seen in the background following a wave of attacks by Israeli settlers, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Bedouins fled their homes on the far hillside seen in the background following a wave of attacks by Israeli settlers, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A Bedouin man fled his home on the far hillside seen in the background following a wave of attacks by Israeli settlers, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Ibrahim Dawabsha, 34, holds hands with his daughter Ghena, 3 while posing for a picture in front of his truck, at the garage of the family house, that was torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Fathi Dawabsha, 82, walks toward the remains of a family vehicle that was torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Fatahi Mohammad, 20, walks past his family's truck that was torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Fatahi Dawabsha, 82, walks past his family's vehicles that were torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

House and vehicles of Ibrahim Dawabsha and his family that were torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

House and vehicles of Ibrahim Dawabsha and his family that were torched during an attack by Israel settlers last month, in the West Bank village of Duma, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)