Great Atlanta Fire

1917 Atlanta fire

You may have heard of the great fires of London, Chicago, or San Francisco, but have you heard of the Great Atlanta Fire. Many people, even those who live in the South, have not. It started on May 21, 1917 - 101 years ago today. No one knows exactly how the fire started, but it was pushed by high winds and surging temperatures.

The fire department answered their fourth call of the day a little before noon at the Chandler Warehouse. The blazes quickly spread to nearby homes, and other fires broke out across the city. With firemen thinly trying to cover the city, they were unable to contain the rapidly spreading flames. Fire departments arrived from nine other Georgia towns, as well as ones from Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee. By the time the fire had been contained, the firemen had pumped 22,000,000 gallons of water. The rubble would continue to smolder throughout the coming week.

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The fires had burned for nearly ten hours covering over 300 acres, destroying 1,900 structures, and displacing 10,000 people; but it miraculously only took one life. Eighty-five percent of the buildings destroyed had wooden shingles, and building codes were changed in view of this. Only the fire from Sherman's raid during the Civil War in 1864 did more damage. There wouldn't be another fire of this magnitude in the United States until 1991.

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