Great Fires of Raleigh

Presented by the Raleigh Fire Museum Last updated April 17, 2017

Conflagrations ...... 2 June 11, 1816 ...... 2 December 15, 1851 ...... 3 Major Fires - 1830s to 1900s ...... 5 Comparing Fires by Number of Lines - 1920s to 1950s ...... 5 Largest Fires by Number of Lines ...... 6 Comparing Fires by Alarm Levels - 1970s to 2010s ...... 6 Largest Fires by Alarm Level ...... 8 Largest Fires by Square Footage – 1915 to 2017 ...... 9 Tompkins Hall - March 25, 1914 ...... 10 Martin Street – November 6, 1915 ...... 11 Yarborough House - July 3, 1928 ...... 13 City Auditorium - October 24, 1930 ...... 19 Bellas-Hess Clothing Store - December 28, 1943 ...... 21 Edenton Street Methodist Church - July 28, 1956 ...... 24 Cameron Village - December 2, 1964 ...... 27 Peebles Hotel - June 24, 1970 ...... 30 Mangel Building - July 7, 1981 ...... 32 IGA Grocery - December 20, 1992...... 38 Pine Knoll Townes - February 22, 2007...... 41 The Metropolitan - March 16, 2017 ...... 46

Conflagrations

Five conflagrations occurred between 1816 and 1851:  1816 - Destroyed 51 buildings in first two blocks of Fayetteville Street.  1832 - Destroyed 30 buildings, starting on the east side of Fayetteville Street.  1832 - Destroyed several buildings on Fayetteville Street.  1833 - Destroyed several buildings on east side of Fayetteville Street.  1851 - Destroyed 17 buildings on Fayetteville, Hargett, and Wilmington streets.

June 11, 1816

 Fire started around midnight.  Dozens of citizens formed a bucket brigade.  The city didn’t have a fire engine or firefighters.

 Within two hours, 51 buildings were destroyed in the first two blocks of Fayetteville Street.  The spreading fire was contained by blasting a building in its path.  The State House in Union Square was saved, by men who climbed its roof and wet it down.

 As a result, the first fire engine was ordered for the city, and work on a city water system was hastened.  The water system was completed in 1818, but abandoned within a year or two.  The fire engine was delivered in 1819, and the first volunteer fire company was formed.

December 15, 1851

 Fire started about 12:30 a.m.  First flames in a “sleeping apartment” at a boot and shoe store.  Nearby public water pump “wasn’t in good gear” and the building was soon “wrapt in flames.”

 Citizens helped the arriving fire company members.  Public and private wells were the sole water source.  Buckets were used, as the city’s two fire engines were either partially or entirely out of service.

 After two and a half hours, the conflagration was controlled.  Seventeen buildings were destroyed on Fayetteville, Hargett, Wilmington streets.  Most of their contents were saved, however.

 Losses estimated between $20,000 and $30,000.  Insurance coverage between $10,000 and $15,000.  Remaining wooden buildings on the block were ordered removed, by new city ordnance enacted the day after the fire.

 Comprehensive improvements to city’s fire protection capabilities resulted, including: o Better water supply, e.g. the first fire cisterns o Two new fire engines o First fire station building o First paid fire chief o Reorganized volunteer fire companies.

Major Fires - 1830s to 1900s

 1831 - State House at Union Square  1839 - Methodist Church  1848 - Raleigh & Gaston Railroad engine house  1867 - Exchange Hotel  1868 - City Market, two other buildings  1883 - St. Augustine’s Normal School buildings  1890 - Raleigh & Gaston Railroad roundhouse  1892 - Caraleigh Phosphate and Fertilizer Warehouse  1900 - Fleming’s Warehouse, two homes, stable  1901 - Watauga Building at A&M College  1903 - Infirmary at St. Mary’s College  1909 - St. Paul’s A.M.E. Church.

Comparing Fires by Number of Lines - 1920s to 1950s

From the 1920s to the 1950s, records of fires included the number of hand hose lines:

Date 12/17/31 Time 7:25 p.m. Box 261 Address 321 S. Blount St. Location Sanders Motor Co. Stories 3 Building brick garage Lines 9 Hose 3,800 feet Ladders 250 feet Engine 7.3 hours Loss $19,000

Largest Fires by Number of Lines

15 lines  1926 - Insane Asylum - Dix Hill  1928 - Yarborough Hotel - 300 block Fayetteville 9 lines  1926 - Commercial Printing Company - 227 S. Salisbury  1931 - Sanders Motor Company - 321 S. Blount  1939 - Ammon’s Clothing Store - 235 Fayetteville  1952 - K&W Motor Company - 118 E. Davie 8 lines  1925 - Almo Theatre - 215 Fayetteville  1927 - Store - 112 W. Hargett  1935 - Efird’s Department Store - 210 Fayetteville  1943 - Quinn Furniture - 108 E. Martin  1943 - Bellas-Hess Clothing Store - 239 S. Wilmington  1948 - Graphic Press International - 324 S. Wilmington  1952 - A&P grocery store - 416 Hillsboro

Note: This list excludes fires earlier than the 1920s, where records are not available. There may also be fires missing from this list, due to research or record errors.

Comparing Fires by Alarm Levels - 1970s to 2010s

References to “number of alarms” begin appearing in newspaper accounts in the early 1970s. An “alarm” is a set of resources that responds to a fire, such as engines, ladder trucks, and chief officers.  1st alarm  2nd alarm  3rd alarm  4th alarm  5th alarm Additional alarms are requested in numeric order, as more resources are needed.

Comparison Chart

Alarm 1977 1990 2007 2017 2017 Level High Rise (7+ stories) 1st 2 engines 2 engines 4 engines 4 engines 5 engines 1 ladder 1 ladder 1 ladder 2 ladders 2 ladders 1 rescue 1 rescue 1 rescue 1 rescue 1 rescue* 1 BC 1 BC 1 BC 2 BCs 2 BCs 2nd 2 engines 2 engines 3 engines 3 engines 5 engines 1 ladder 1 ladder 1 ladder 2 ladders 2 ladders 1 rescue 1 rescue 1 rescue 1 BC 1 BC 1 BC 1 BC 1 BC + AC, mobile air 3rd 2 engines 2 engines 3 engines 3 engines 5 engines 1 ladder 1 ladder 1 ladder 2 ladders 1 rescue 1 BC 4th 2 engines 2 engines 3 engines 3 engines 5 engines 1 ladder 1 ladder 2 ladders 1 bat chief 5th 2 engines 2 engines 3 engines 3 engines 5 engines 1 ladder 1 ladder Totals 10 engines 10 engines 16 engines 16 engines 25 engines w/ five 3 ladders 5 ladders 5 ladders 4 ladders 8 ladders alarms 2 rescues 2 rescues 3 rescues 1 rescue 1 rescue 2 BCs 2 BCs 3 BCs 3 BCs 3 BCs Plus on-call ACs DC DC DC DC on-call ACs on-call ACs on-call ACs on-call ACs mobile air mobile air deputy FM deputy FM investigator investigator mobile air mobile air

* Squad (rescue pumper) is dispatched if rescue isn’t available. BC = Battalion Chief DC = Division Chief AC = Assistant Chief FM = Fire Marshal

Largest Fires by Alarm Level

6 alarms 4 alarms  2007 - Pine Knoll Townes  1990 - Wake County Courthouse  1993 - Shelton’s Used Furniture 5 alarms  1981 - Mangel Building  2017 - Metropolitan Apartments

 1970 - Peebles Hotel 3 alarms

 2010 - 2860 Armadale Lane -  1998 - 5045 Falls of Neuse -  1990 - Crab Orchard - Apts Houses Quail Corners Shopping Center  1990 - 3705 Edwards Mill -  2008 - 11705 Dellcain Court -  1996 - 4004 Twickenham - Apts House Village of Pickwick Apts  1989 - 3153 Kings - Apts  2008 - 1022 Hammel -  1994 - Crown Court - Crown  1988 - Fairview - Hayes Barton Warehouse Court Apts Cleaners  2007 - 6904 River Run - Apts  1994 - 1600 S. Saunders -  1988 - 2014 Fairview - Piggly  2007 - 4708 Fargo - House Caraleigh Furniture Warehouse Wiggly  2007 - 3833 Bonneville - Apts  1993 - 750 Bashford - Bashford  1986 - 1021 Raleigh - Apts  2007 - 1201 Trillium - Apts Place Apts  1984 - 112 W. Lane - Howard  2006 - 544 Rose - House  1993 - 435 Daniels - Bryan Bldg.  2006 - 2200 Banks Hill - Apts Bldg.  1980 - 424 S. McDowell - Hunt  2004 - 3101 Kings Court - Apts  1993 - 3911 Beryl - General Tire  2004 - 214 E. Martin - Commercial  1980 - 215 S. McDowell - News Greenshields Pub  1993 - 3114-3118 Avent Ferry - & Observer  2004 - 1400 Diggs - Gorman Crossings Apts  1976 - 500 Glenwood - Pine Commercial  1993 - 1300 Kirkland - State Creamery  2003 - 201 Penmarc - Commercial  1971 - 100 W. Martin - Andrew Warehouse  1992 - 718 N. Person - IGA Johnson Hotel Annex  2002 - 115 Salem - North Hills Grocery  1970 - 2815 North - Holiday Terrace Apts  1992 - 600 S. Bloodworth - Inn North restaurant  2002 - 111 Friendly - Univ. Institute for Cosmetology Bldg.  1965 - 1018 E. Davie - Lucille Towers  1992 - 206 Loft Ln - Apts Hunter School  2000 - 2423 Wycliff - Meredith  1991 - 550 W. Cabarrus -  1964 - 301 W. Martin - Village Apts Clancy & Theys Warren's Restaurant  1999 - 601 Creekside - Auto  1991 - 3939 Wake Forest - Dealer Montecito Apts

Notes:  As cited on the previous page, the number of units (and personnel) at a fire in the 1970s is significantly smaller than those at a fire in the 2010s. Thus, alarm levels are not necessarily equal in resources, when compared across decades.  At some fires, additional units are requested outside of a full alarm assignment. Those “special called” companies can add up to an “alarm level equivalent.” Fires with equivalent extra alarms are not included in this list.

Largest Fires by Square Footage – 1915 to 2017

Mangel Building, 1981 24,940 sq. ft. Yarborough Hotel, 1926 46,500 sq. ft. Martin Street, 1915 ~47,720 sq. ft Pine Knoll Townes, 2007 ~45,600 sq. ft1 Metropolitan, 2017 274,959 sq. ft.2 1Only destroyed or heavily damaged buildings. 2Excludes exposures.

Square footage can also be compared, for some of the city’s largest structure fires. Four are listed above. Other square footage totals for other historic fires in the city's past include:  ~18,000 - Quinn Furniture (43)  ~19,600 - Coca-Cola Plant (48)  ~23,400 - City Auditorium (30) *  ~24,000 - K&W Motor Company (52)  ~33,000 - Pine State Creamery (76) *  ~43,000 - State Asylum (26) *Very rough estimate of square footage.

Tompkins Hall ‐ March 25, 1914

 Textile building at North Carolina Agriculture & Mechanical College.  Three stories, built 1901.  Reported 2:45 a.m.

 Corner section of the third floor is burning.  Entire study body soon arrives, running to the campus hose stations.  Poor water pressure from the school’s hydrants prevents streams from reaching the third floor.  By the time the Raleigh Fire Department arrives, the entire third floor is engulfed in flames, and the second floor has started burning.

 Controlled a little after 5:00 a.m.  Extinguished by firefighters and helping students until about 7:00 a.m.  Most of the west wall also collapses, narrowly missing students helping to fight the fire.  Loss $80,000.

North Carolina State University photo

Martin Street – November 6, 1915

 Saturday morning.  Fire reported at 6:05 a.m.  Started on third floor of printing company at 118-120 W. Martin.  Destroyed five building, damaged many others.  Four firemen and one civilian injured.

 Hose streams sprayed from street, and roofs of nearby buildings.  Uzzell building walls collapsed, further spreading fire.  Most damage occurred within two hours.  Approximately 45,720 square-feet among six main burned buildings.  Over $300,000 loss.

 Second time the News and Observer was destroyed by fire in three years.

Destroyed 118-120 W. Martin Street E.M. Uzzell and Company, printers

Destroyed 114-116 W. Martin Street News and Observer

Destroyed 122 W. Martin Street Wake Shoe Company

Destroyed 124 W. Martin Street Crystal Theatre - Motion pictures

Destroyed 219 1/3 S. McDowell Street Storage warehouse

Heavy fire damage 126 W. Martin Street O'Quinn & Company; Baptist Book Store

Some fire damage Martin and McDowell streets The Raleigh Apartments

Minor fire damage W. Martin Street Other buildings

Heavy water, smoke damage 112 W. Martin Street H. S. Storr Company

Some water damage 113-121 W. Martin Street Hotel Wright

Yarborough House ‐ July 3, 1928

 Hotel and stores.  Renowned hotel that was famous throughout the southeast.  300 block of Fayetteville Street.  Four stories, brick, built 1852.  46,500 square-feet.

 Reported 1:20 p.m., Box 314.  Fire starts in basement, at base of elevator shaft.  Quickly spreads through entire structure.  Entire fire department responds, with five engines and two ladders, plus engines from Durham and Smithfield.

 7,200 feet of hose, 15 streams.  750,000 gallons.  Loss over $200,000.  Building demolished.

North Carolina State Archives photo

Courtesy University of North Carolina, North Carolina Collection photo

North Carolina State Archives photo

City Auditorium ‐ October 24, 1930

 3,500-seat performing arts center, beside City Hall.  Davie Street just east of Fayetteville Street.  Three stories, brick, built 1912.  Roughly 23,400 square feet.

 Reported 11:46 p.m., telephone.  Fire starts as a dance is concluding.  No injuries as all patrons evacuate safely.

 Controlled 1:00 a.m.  3,200 feet of hose, 7 streams.  Entire fire department responds: 5 engines, 2 ladders  Loss $84,600.

 Adjoining City Hall building is damaged, and many municipal papers are destroyed.  Replaced with Memorial Auditorium in 1932, at different location.

Raleigh City Museum photo

North Carolina State Archives photo

Bellas‐Hess Clothing Store ‐ December 28, 1943

 Bellas-Hess clothing store.  Building faces both South Wilmington and East Martin streets.  Three stories, brick.  ~11,700 square feet.

 Reported 11:19 p.m., Box 23.  Clothing store reopened a week earlier, after restocked with $100,000 of merchandise.  Flames also spread to adjoining food market and wholesale grocery.  Citizens assist with fire hoses, a common practice through the 1940s.

 Controlled ~2:30 a.m.  6,050 feet of hose, 8 streams.  Damage $250,000.

News & Observer photo

Edenton Street Methodist Church ‐ July 28, 1956

 228 W. Edenton Street.  Built 1881.  Reported 7:05 p.m.

 Started after lightning strikes the 200-foot steeple.  Resulting flames caused the steeple to collapse an hour later.  Firefighters from Cary and Garner come to the scene, to assist.

 Controlled by 10:00 p.m.  4 engines, 2 ladders.  Loss over $500,000.

News & Observer photo

Cameron Village ‐ December 2, 1964

 Bryan Building at Cameron Village Shopping Center.  Daniels Street.  Two-story, masonry/frame, built 1950.

 Reported at 5:25 a.m., as verbal alarm to nearby fire station.  Starts in kitchen of Hofbrau Restaurant.  Damages one-third of block-long building.  Extinguished with help of foam machine, brought by salesman who is visiting Raleigh.

 Controlled about 7:30 a.m.  6 engines, 2 ladders, 1 rescue.  Loss $634,699.

News & Observer photo

Peebles Hotel ‐ June 24, 1970

 122 E. Hargett Street.  Three stories, brick, built 1921.  ~12,000 square feet.

 Reported 5:12 p.m., box 216.  Fire started in third-floor bathroom.  Bulk of damage confined to third floor.  Fire also spread to two-story addition in rear.

 Controlled 7:30 p.m.  5 engines, 3 ladders, 1 rescue.  ~35 firefighters.  Five alarms.  Loss $110,220.

News & Observer photo

Mangel Building ‐ July 7, 1981

 124 Fayetteville Street Mall.  Three stories, built 1890-1900.  24,940-square feet.

 Reported as smoke investigation about 8:50 a.m.  Light smoke conditions found inside building housing restaurant, flea market, and ten smaller businesses.  Heavier smoke, increased heat, and heavy fire soon presented.

 Crews tried to fight fire inside, but building conditions weakened.  Aerial streams were added on the outside of the building.  Walls on two sides of building collapsed about 11:00 a.m.

 Controlled about noon.  Over 100 regular, off-duty, and volunteer firefighters, plus 21 recruits.  31+ firefighters treated for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.  No injuries due to wall collapse.  Damage over $400,000.

Gary Knight photo

Gary Knight photos

Gary Knight photo

News & Observer photos

IGA Grocery ‐ December 20, 1992

 718 N. Person Street.  One-story grocery store.  18,000 square-feet.  Built ~1966.

 Reported 9:36 p.m.  Smoke showing from rear of store on arrival.  Fire found in ceiling, and volume of fire grows and moves to front of store.  Crews withdrawn from building about 12:10 a.m.  Aerial streams finish the suppression, while hose lines cool the apparatus.

 Three firefighters injured and treated on scene for smoke inhalation.  6 engines, 3 ladders, 2 rescues, plus relief companies.  45 firefighters.  Three alarms.

Jeff Harkey photo

News & Observer photo

Pine Knoll Townes ‐ February 22, 2007.

 New townhomes off 3500 block of Capital Boulevard.  Two-story buildings, four units each.  Average 5,700 square-feet each.

 Reported 3:03 p.m. as brush fire.  Dispatched fire companies come from farther away, as nearest units are at another working fire.  Heavy smoke, multiple buildings burning on arrival.  Hand lines, deck guns, and aerial streams used.

 150 city firefighters including off-duty personnel and 29 recruits. Plus county firefighters.  15 engines, 6 ladders, 2 rescues, plus others.  County firefighters help protect nearby buildings from flying embers.  Six alarms.

 Controlled about 6:00 p.m.  27 individual units destroyed, 11 units damaged.  ~62,700 total square-feet destroyed or heavily damaged.

 72 people displaced.  Damage over $4 million.  Resulted in city fire code change.

Lee Wilson photo

Mike Legeros and Lee Wilson photos

Mike Legeros & Lee Wilson photos 43

Mike Legeros photos

Lee Wilson photo

News & Observer photo

The Metropolitan ‐ March 16, 2017

 Apartments under construction at Jones and Harrington.  Five stories, 274,959 square-feet.  Unfinished, no walls, no doors, no sprinklers.

 Dispatched 10:03 p.m.  Heavily involved on arrival, rapidly spreading.  Nearby buildings (exposures) threatened by flames, heat, and flying embers.

 Portable monitors and aerial streams on three sides.  Ten hydrants supplied pumpers and ladder trucks.  Controlled at 1:10 p.m.

 130 firefighters including off-duty personnel and ~20 recruits.  Plus firefighters from 15 neighboring departments covering city stations.  24 engines, 7 ladders, 1 rescue, plus other units.

 Five alarms.  270+ people displaced.  Ten buildings damaged.  Four people with minor injuries.

James Wilamor photo

Eric Debrah photo

Rob Tiller photo

Mike Legeros photo

Mike Legeros photos

Four buildings were the primary exposures, shown above.

Damaged buildings included:

B1 314 W. Jones Fire building, destroyed.

B2 201 W. Harrington Structural damage after tower crane on roof.

B3 414 W. Jones Heavy exterior damage. Minor interior fire damage. Some interior water damage.

B4 323 W. Jones Heavy exterior damage. Minor interior fire damage. Heavy interior water damage.

B5 308 W. Jones Heavy fire damage to upper floors, rooms and contents

B6 300 W. Jones Fire damage on roof, and burned landscaping.

B7 215 N. Dawson Fire damage to interior, fire damage to roof, burned landscaping.

B8 301 W. Jones Fire damage to roof. Heavy water, smoke damage inside.

B9 228 W. Edenton Fire damage to roof, landscaping burned.

Mike Legeros photos