The Great Baltimore Fire 1904

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Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage

 

Phase One :

Sunday Morning, 11 am

On Sunday February 7th, 1904 most of Baltimore was looking forward to a quiet Sunday afternoon.

 

The firefighters at Engine Co. 15 were preparing for morning inspection at 11 am. However, at 10:48 am they received an automatic alarm at the John E. Hurst & Company, located between Hopkins Place and Liberty Street on the south side of German Street (now Redwood). The Salvage Corps responded first, as did Fifth District Engineer Levin Burkhardt, Engine 15 and Truck 2

 

Phase Two : Sunday, 12 noon

As Engine 15 turned up Liberty Street, Captain John Kahl could see smoke coming from the top floor of the Hurst Building. Captain Kahl did not think he had much of a fire so he went to check the automatic alarm box. The box indicated that there was fire in the basement. As a result, Captain Kahl had his crew force entry through a glass door on the German Street side and entered the building with a chemical line and hand line. As the crew was standing on the stairs to the basement they could see the fire rolling across the ceiling towards the elevator shaft. It was not long after Captain Kahl entered the building when black smoke rolled down the elevator shaft. An explosion on the upper floors was powerful enough to blow off the roof, break several windows and also throw large embers across the street into the broken windows of several neighboring buildings.

 

Phase Three : Sunday, 6 pm

The fire quickly spread and in minutes the surrounding buildings were ablaze. Chief George Horton, who responded just after 11:10 am, realized the severity of the fire and summoned almost the entire Baltimore City Fire Department, including 24 engines and 8 hook & ladders to the scene. At 11:55 am, the Chief requested help from Washington, DC. The wind was blowing from the southwest driving the fire towards the northeast. The fires raged toward the Court House and City Hall, consuming everything in its path. At 1:30 pm, the first mutual aid engines from Washington arrived. It was discovered that their couplings would not fit Baltimores fire hydrants, so they were wrapped with canvas. This reduced their effectiveness and continued to cause problems with the arrival of other mutual aid companies who came later.

 

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