by Debby Dyess

Created on: March 03, 2009

The morning of February 7, 1904 dawned bright in Baltimore. Families dressed for church, stepping outside, clutching caps and hats against the strong wind that blew in from the southwest. Those unfortunate enough to work on that day glanced at clocks, anticipating lunch breaks. At Engine Co. 15, firefighters prepared for the morning inspection, scheduled at 11 AM. It never occurred.

At 10:48 the house received a call: a fire at John E. Hurst & Company, located between Hopkins Place and Liberty Street. The firemen rushed to the site. Engine 15, a steam pumper and hose wagon (both pulled by two-horse teams), Truck Company 2, and District Chief Levin H. Burkhardt responded immediately. Checking the automatic alarm box located on the exterior wall of the Hurst and Co., Captain John Kahl determined the fire was in the basement of the building. Firefighters entered through a glass door on the German Street side of the building, armed with one chemical line and one hard line, and hurried inside to face the inferno. As they descended into the fiery basement, flames hissed and roared across the ceiling. Kahl noticed thick, black smoke pouring downward from the elevator shaft. An explosion hammered the upper floors of the six-story building. The roof, shards of window and embers rained down on surrounding buildings, prompting evacuation.

At just after 11 AM, Chief Goerge Horton realized the severity of the blaze and called out virtually the entire Baltimore Fire Department. The blaze had now spread to several nearby buildings, and with the high winds, Horton feared the worst. His call was met with a solid front: 24 trucks and 8 hook-and-ladder trucks responded. Firefighters battle ferociously, fighting the winds that blew the inferno toward City Hall and the Courthouse. But within 55 minutes, Horton again called for assistance, this time to Washington D.C.

Help arrived by 1:30 that Sunday afternoon, and a second disaster struck. Due to the lack of standardization of hoses and couplings, D.C.'s equipment was useless in Baltimore. Hoses were attached to hydrants with layers of canvas, which allowed serious leakage and decreased effectiveness. The fire raged forward, as firemen battled flames, wind and exhaustion.

At 5 PM
explosives were used in hopes of creating a firewall. Not only did the plan fail, but it seemed to create more fires, spreading the blaze even more. Winds still whipped the flames, and City Hall and the Courthouse seemed certain to fall victim to the inferno.

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