1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to this 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: dand History Class, a podcast that brings you a little 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: slice of history every single day. Today It's made the 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: day was made. One nineteen seventeen, a fire tore through 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: the city of Atlanta, displacing around ten thousand people and 7 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:35,560 Speaker 1: destroying nearly two thousand buildings. The fire caused more destruction 8 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: than William to come to Sherman's capture of Atlanta in 9 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,160 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four. That morning, the fire department had gotten 10 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: calls about a series of small fires. A fire was 11 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: reported at a cotton warehouse downtown. Firefighters also showed up 12 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: to put out a fire on Woodward Avenue that destroyed 13 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: several homes. There was also a fire in the West End. 14 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: That afternoon. Another fire began in a way our house 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: north of Decatur Street that Grady Hospital was using as 16 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: a storage facility. When the firefighters got to the scene, 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: they found stacks of cotton mattresses on fire, but they 18 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: didn't have the hoses they needed to get water to 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: the fire. Their resources were spread thin because of all 20 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 1: of the other fires that took place that day. The 21 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: big fire that ended up causing millions of dollars of 22 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: damage started around twelve pm. It's unclear exactly how the 23 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: fire started. It may have begun when the wind blew 24 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: sparks from the fire on Woodward Avenue to the warehouse, 25 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: but the fire quickly spread north as wind provided the 26 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: fire with more fuel. In two weeks of dry weather 27 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: made Atlanta's wood shingled homes extremely susceptible to fire. On 28 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: top of that, people who volunteered to help weren't given 29 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: adequate guidance. Also, there was not a telephone line open 30 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: for the sole use of the fire department, and the 31 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: firefighters needed more hoses and fire hydrants, and they had 32 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: to roundabout ways to get to some fires because of 33 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: poor road conditions On Boulevard, parts of the street itself 34 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: burned because some of it was paved with woodblock. Fire 35 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: Chief William Cody decided to dynamite some homes in the 36 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 1: path of the fire to stop it from spreading. Mayor 37 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 1: Asa Candler went to the DuPont Powder Company to get 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: crates of dynamite and explosive experts set about exploding homes. 39 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: Candler also called for military assistance martial law was declared 40 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 1: that evening and lasted until May twenty. Other cities inside 41 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: and outside of Georgia sent firefighters to help fight the blaze. 42 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: The fire wasn't completely extinguished until ten o'clock that night. 43 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: It had burned around three hundred acres and caused about 44 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: five million dollars of damage, which is about one million 45 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: dollars in The fire continued to smolder in places, and 46 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: people who lost their housing stayed in Pimont Park, vacant lots, churches, 47 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: in hotel lobbies. Others were able to stay with their families. 48 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: Only one person reportedly died from the fire when she 49 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: had a heart attack while her home was being destroyed. 50 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 1: Around sixty people went to the hospital for fire related injuries. 51 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: Since the US had just entered World War One, rumor 52 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: spread that the fire was an act of German sabotage. 53 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: Because the Fourth Ward was hit hard by the fire, 54 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: many of the residents affected were black. Some of the 55 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: articles published in the aftermath of the fire downplayed its 56 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: impact on residents, and city planners were reported as touting 57 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: the fire as a benefit to Atlanta press coverage and 58 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: the devastation the fire cost in the Fourth Ward highlighted 59 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: the racism prevalent in the city and the racial disparities 60 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: in urban planning and housing. Local stores, companies, churches, colleges, 61 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: and newspapers pledged to make donations to help victims of 62 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: the fire. Black leaders organized aid for people affected by 63 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: the fire. Throughout the summer, people drew up plans for 64 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: rebuilding the city. Single family homes were replaced with apartment 65 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: buildings and commercial sites. The Atlanta City Council announced that 66 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: it would enforce an ordinance it had postponed enforcing that 67 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: mandated fire resistant roofing. The Great Atlanta Fire of nineteen 68 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,239 Speaker 1: seventeen up ended the lives of many of the Fourth 69 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: Wards residents and completely transformed the neighborhood. I'm each Jeffcote 70 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 71 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments 72 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: or suggestions that you like send us. You can send 73 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: those to this Day and I Heart Media dot com. 74 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: You can also hit us up on social media where 75 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: at T D I h C Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, 76 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 1: and Instagram. Thanks so much for listening to the show 77 00:04:51,760 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. Yeah. For more podcasts from 78 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 79 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.