1984 Fall
1900–1920
PAGE 1

« Back to 1984 Fall Issue Articles

Hot Springs Again Hit by Fire
60 Downtown Blocks Destroyed

HOT SPRINGS – One of Hot Springs’ darkest hours occurred September 5, 1913, when the most disastrous fire in the history of Arkansas swept the city. Approximately 60 blocks were destroyed, causing an estimated loss of $10 million. Approximately 2,500 people were left homeless. Miraculously, no casualties occurred. This was quite a severe blow to the city, particularly since it had just recovered from a comparable disaster in 1905 when 25 blocks were devastated by fire.

The blaze originated on Church Street where a laundress had been ironing. A stiff wind quickly spread the fire westward. Malvern Avenue, a fashionable residential area, was soon in flames. The magnificent Park Hotel there was demolished. One eyewitness saw the wind hurl a “ball of fire” into an open window on the fourth floor of the hotel.

The flames swept on toward Central Avenue. The Ozark Sanitarium, Hot Springs High School, and the Central Methodist Church (Central at Olive) were all destroyed. A sudden shift in the wind turned the flames down Ouachita Avenue and up Quapaw, away from the downtown area. On Ouachita the courthouse was gutted. Apartments, hotels, and homes went up in flames. Even the lower portion of West Mountain was ablaze.

Streets leading out of the area were lined with people. All available buggies and wagons were loaded with family possessions, and some people were on foot, carrying all they could. L. L. Asbury, who had opened the Marion Hotel on Whittington Avenue just days earlier, stated that the morning after the fire his hotel was filled to capacity with persons whose homes had been destroyed.

The destruction of the water company and power house coupled with the thousands of outlets opened by the burning of buildings resulted in dry water mains and a shortage of water with which to fight the fire. Fireman Thomas Newton Cain said that Fire Chief Henry Higgins tried using a four-inch hose to battle the flames, but lacked enough water pressure to stop the blaze. As the fire got out of hand, he said, “there was no stopping it.”

Only after the fire reached Hazel Street and after a heavy Rainstorm, did it burn itself out.

« Previous Article | Next Article »