The Nation - News from Jan. 1, 1985

Fire raced through an Evanston, Ill., museum housing paintings, sculpture and centuries-old manuscripts, destroying millions of dollars worth of art, officials said. The Byer Museum blaze, which sent smoke billowing over much of Evanston, a north Chicago suburb, was reported about 2 p.m. by a passer-by, fire officials said. The museum houses a collection of 16th- and 17th-Century art as well as modern works, authorities said. It opened in 1982.