The Terminal Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, caught fire today, in a disaster that killed more than 25 people. Within 30 minutes, the blaze had engulfed the five-story building, giving many guests little chance to escape.
"The fire was described by Fire Chief O.J. Parker as 'the deadliest in the history of Atlanta.' Collapse of the roof, plunging debris through charred floors to the basement, cut off hope of survival for any who were trapped. Only the walls were left standing," reported the Charleston Daily Mail on May 16, 1938. "Hotel attaches said 'at least fifty' were registered when the flames broke out with an explosion in the basement kitchen shortly after 3 a.m. (EST)."
NOTE: Fourteen men who were originally believed to have perished in the fire managed to escape by sliding down a rope which was hanging from a painter's scaffold.
Links to the Past
More Than Score Perish in Hotel Fire
The Chronicle Telegram, May 16, 1938
Atlanta's Worst Fire Takes Many Lives…
Syracuse Herald, May 16, 1938
Flames Trap Hotel Guests
Charleston Daily Mail, May 16, 1938
Charred Bodies Are Recovered
The Ogden Standard-Examiner, May 17, 1938
Clues Sought in Hotel Fire
Oakland Tribune, May 17, 1938
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