Exactly. The Iroquois Theater was advertised as fireproof and there was a horrible fire there. Unfortunately people are arrogant and think they can build something with no mistakes.
Funnily enough, solid wood doors don't burn easily and if it weren't for the open transoms, would probably have allowed many more people to be rescued.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures.
Whenever I stay in a hotel now I hear this narrators voice. "What Steve was unaware of is that years of poor maintenance and cost cutting measures would soon add up to disaster."
I tend to hear Mike Rowe's voice talking about cleanliness - or lack thereof. "First thing I do is take the comforter off the bed. It's disgusting." (or words to that effect from a Dirty Jobs episode)
They did this on some hotel show. They sprayed it with invisible, washable glow in the dark spray, and found pillow cases They didn't even bother to WASH, because their logo was on the damn pillow! I'd bring a black lite WITH ME, and my own top blanket.
For me any time I'm in a tall building or on a train or in a plane I hear.. "Disasters don't just happen. They are a chain of critical events. Unravel the clues and countdown those final.. Seconds From Disaster!"
In remembrance: Earlyne Adams, 16 Sarah Margaret Aldridge, 28 Florence Allen Baggett, 43 Walter Leon Baker, 41 Clarence Bates Jr., 14 Walton Beck, 47 Charles Billy Berry, 25 Mildred Chandler Boschung, 23 Dorothy Sue Broome, 16 Dallas Lamar Brown Jr., 16 M. Louise Hood Brown, 46 William Edgar Bryson, 28 Eloise Evelyn Buck, 40 Ashley John Burns, 26 Edith Elma Burch, 20 W.M. Clarence Martha Harriett Cobb, 21 Joseph Constangy, 28 Freda M. Constangy, 25 Morris Theo Constangy, 56 Robert Houk Cox, 33 Billie Henderson Cox, 35 John Philip David, 26 Mary Alice Davis, 48 Martha Hopkins Dekle, 69 William D. Dickerson, 38 Mary E. Pettit Dickerson, 34 William Marcus Dickerson, 3 Mary Malinda Dickerson, 6 Eric Hayworth Ellicott, 46 Robert Alvin Fluker, 41 Elmer Andrew Conzett, 32 Joseph Arthur Goodson Jr., 36 Gladys Grace Goodson, 29 Joseph Arthur Goodson III, 4 Barbara Beck Goodson, 1 Earl Carr Gregg, 14 Patricia Ann Griffin, 14 Frank Buford Hale Jr., 31 Julia Nell Hall, 16 Lena Harris, 47 Christine Adams Hinson, 17 Harold Garnett Irvin, 23 John Newton Irwin, 21 Jerry Ann Jenkins, 15 William Franklin Jones, 21 W.M. Jones Irene Delores Justice, 29 Charles Wilkes Keith, 17 Peter Seymour Knox Sr., 78 Gertrude Austin Knox, 68 Paul Douglas Lain, 54 Grace Slaughter Lain, 52 James Robert Little, 25 Eloise E. Mason, 59 Jacob M. Mauss Carol Gwen McCoy, 17 James Lewis McDonald, 39 Hedy Helen Metcalf, 15 Sarah Rebecca Miller, 34 Aubrey Rutledge Minnix Jr., 15 Mary Smith Minor, 31 Laura Belle Mirandia, 37 Ella Sue Mitchum, 16 Vernon Ralph Moody, 32 Sam Mooney Suzanne Moreno Moore, 16 Dwight Lane Morrison, 26 Robbie June Moye, 16 Mary Louise Murphy, 14 Margaret Wilson Nichols, 30 Margaret Adele Parker, 12 Altona Webb Perry, 65 Edward Lewis Pettijohn, 41 Ruth Powell, 16 Jean Pruett, 21 Freddie Louise Pruitt, 22 Carl Christian Rasmussen, 49 Richard Carl Rasmussen, 20 Emelda Louise Reeves, 21 Gloria Riemann, 20 Cora Jeanette Riley, 16 Wylie L. Rochelle, 46 Marianne D. Scherle, 16 Jack Bowen Sheriff, 32 Nell Zorn Sims, 33 Cleveland D. Sisk, 48 James Ernest Slatton, 16 Dorothy Christine Smith, 36 Fred Salder Smith, 13 Dorothy Sadler Smith, 11 Mary Clarke Smith, 2 Emma Anne Smith, 14 Bobby L. Sollenberger, 16 Harry W. Sorrells, 46 Ethel Stewart, 20 Mary E. Stinespring, 58 Harriett McKinnon Strickland, 16 Elaine Sullivan, 20 Herbert Edward Swanson, 38 Edward Owen Thomas, 55 Frances Louise Thompson, 17 Charles Harold Thruen, 51 Bess Mitchell Thruen, 50 William Barr Todd Jr., 39 Irene Harris Tollett, 44 Sarah Virginia Tolbert, 16 Dorothy Marie Tyner, 16 Patricia Ann Uphold, 16 George William Walden, 16 Helen Marie Walker, 31 Phoebe Ann Walker, 16 Ernest Benedict Weatherly Sr., 64 Mary Boisclair Williams, 40 Julia Boisclair Williams, 8 R.E. Williams Robert Clay Williams, 21 Betty Maxine Willis, 16 Irene Wilson, 55 William Fleming Winecoff, 76 Grace Marion Winecoff, 76
Definitely worthy of pinned-comment status. Was this sourced off the dedicated page on FindAGrave, by any chance? Even with all the names, it must have taken a while to calculate everyone's ages going by DOBs.
My grandfather was supposed to stay at the Winecoff that night, but ended up staying overnight with relatives after dinner.....they were awakened by frantic calls asking about his whereabouts.
Good for Arnold for taking these photos. It's crazy that without him, we probably wouldnt even have evidence how bad the fire was. I'm also glad he broke down the door to the pharmacy to help those injured. RIP the victims. Very sad. Thank you for this story. I'm still so shocked it took 30 mins to call for the fire trucks despite them being so close by. That seems to be the main cause of death to allow so much time for the fire to spread.
I wonder if the charges against him were dismissed. If I were him I'd have proudly told that judge that I broke the door down so that people's lives could be saved.
I think, considering he was released the same day that they realized what a bad idea his arrest was and offered to have his suit cleaned for his troubles. Only sort of kidding... arresting a journalist for trying to be a hero could only lead to bad press.
@@hellomark1 Several years ago in L.A. a building that size caught fire overnight while still under construction. The whole building was fully involved and burning by the time it was noticed... and the nearest fire station was across the street.
The term "fireproof" doesn't mean what you think. Fireproof, in the context of this building, and really any structure built in the early 20th century, referred to the type of construction. IE, a building that was 'fireproof' meant it was built with concrete, and steel, and not wood. Fireproof in that sense meaning that in the event of a fire, the building wouldn't collapse in on itself.
That’s what I heard on another comment about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The building is still in use today because that was the industry definition of fireproof: that the building will be usable after a fire and not a total loss.
Yeah, but...if there weren't the concern for factor fires, there would be no sprinkler systems. That's why they were invented and haven't changed since late 1800s.
This reminds me of the Daeyeonggak Hotel Fire, the deadliest hotel fire in history. It occurred on Christmas Day 1971, in Seoul, Korea, after a propane stove in a coffee shop on the second floor, leaked and exploded, the subsequent fire created dense dark smoking, making it impossible for guests to see the exits. The Daeyeonggak was a 22 storey hotel, so when the Seoul Fire and Rescue Service showed up, their ladders could only reach the eighth floor, helicopters from Korean and American military bases were used to rescue victims trapped in the upper floors, but this was not always successful, some guests lost their grip on the slings and fell to their deaths, but perhaps the most ghastly moments caught on camera, where desperate guests leaping out of the windows, grasping onto mattresses hoping it would cushion the impact, tragically, no one survived attempting this escape. 164 people died in the disaster, like the Winecoff, this was a luxury hotel advertised as "Fireproof", however, it lacked sufficient internal fire escapes, no external fire escape, lack of fireproof doors, and flammable luxury decorations contributing to the spread of the fire, nevertheless, fire codes were revised after the Daeyeonggak, and the Seoul Fire Service improved their high rise response, today, the Daeyeonggak still stands, it remains a hotel just like the Winecoff, and all those involved with the cause of the disaster were convicted and imprisoned for their role.
The “absolutely fireproof” claim, referring to the building but not the people inside, reminds me of Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers, facing an alien with a disintegrator gun. Daffy declares confidently, “Fortunately, I’m wearing my disintegrator-proof vest!” The alien fires, Daffy disintegrates, but the disintegrator-proof vest stands proudly intact. Another awesome video, man.
The unexplained 30 minute delay in calling for help is one of those terrible what-ifs. With a minute response time, you have to think it would have saved so many more lives. Just baffling why it took so long to call - they even called a bunch of guests during this time!
Agree - that is really mysterious. I guess it was 3am and most people were asleep, but you'd think the bell boy would have phoned someone from the room in which he took refuge.
@@purplecelery7380I don't think hotel room phones had access to outside lines in those days, just to reception. Why the person on reception didn't phone the fire brigade is just baffling.
@@nlwilson4892Probably the receptionist simply forgot. I know, it sounds insane, how could u forget, but even if he didnt totally panic, he would have been in a totally unforseen situation, and he probably thought of getting the guests out. And in the process forgot, that only he could call the fire department. We cant know, since we werent there, nor can we know, how we wouldve reacted in the same scenario. But that is a very human reaction, that has been seen plenty of times b4 in other disasters, the ppl simply get so focused on 1 specific task, here warning the guests, that they forget the most important task of all, here call the fire department. Thats why there are strict procedures in planes, on ships etc, and nowadays there are also procedures in large buildings like hotels, factories, office blocks, large apartment buildings and so on for what to do in an emergency. Like there was at the World Trade Center on 9/11, tho the stay in place order was, in that case, clearly the wrong call, and the vast majority of survivors were those, who had ignored the order.
@@dfuher968 The larger the area, the more chance their is of people assuming that someone else has already made the call. This still happens in cities today.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
@@LittleRedToyota It did what it was supposed to. Other buildings being constructed around the same time were still using wood as structural components. A building being marked as 'fireproof' doesn't have any part of its support construction being wood. The idea is that it can burn and burn, and won't come down. Which as I noted, it did here. It only gives those vibes to those that don't understand it and think it means you can't start a fire. That's like saying that a car with airbags in it, since those protect the people, by extension should be impossible to have a car accident with.
@@KibuFox Good thing you understand it better than me then so you can be arrogant about it and give me opinions I don't have and words I haven't spoken... I'm not going to Dunning-Krüger at least, so I will leave it with this: when someone state their building is fireproof and ship is unsinkable, I will as a watcher of this channel instantly get bad vibes and expect a horrifying story, regardless of what the true meaning of "fireproof" and "unsinkable" is.
From someone who works in archives and spends a lot of time looking through old newspaper ads: "Fireproof" was a really common claim in for decades. Knowing what construction and firefighting technologies were until very recently I very much doubt that any of the buildings advertised as such actually were, so the Winecoff was hardly alone in making this claim and also in being very wrong about it.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
In the San Francisco earthquake there was a fireproof hotel which even had a sprinkler system fed by a 10,000 gallon water tank on it's roof. What hadn't been considered is that the fires around it lasted longer that it's water supply did which eventually doomed it.
I know a man who was a survivor of The Station Nightclub fire Warwick RI. He had been by the stage and heard a voice in his head up immediately head for the front door exit. He was one of only ones to get out safely and had to watch the trapped die. He got survivor guilt and it really messed him up emotionally. That was over 20 years ago.
To the creator of this video, I want to just remark that it is stunning how many photographs you were able to compile for this. I felt like I was actually there, and that's really impressive for something happening in the 1940s when cameras were much rarer. An absolutely fantastic video.
I went to look it up immediately after the video, and as you might suspect, the hotel is considered haunted. Reports include seeing figures in hallways and windows, sounds of running and other chaos in hallways, the inexplicable smell of smoke, and apparently it's not uncommon for the fire alarm to go off at 2:48am, the time the fire started.
My father was a night watchman at Davisons on Peachtree Street next door. He watched the whole thing from across the street. He saw many jumpers. He was very affected by this experience his whole life......
I live in Atlanta. I've often heard of the Winecoff fire and wondered where it had been. I looked on Google Earth, and the building's still there at 178 Peachtree Street. I went into street view mode and tipped the frame up to make sure I was in front of the right building...and suddenly seeing the building towering above me had a particularly fearsome, vertiginous effect. I can only imagine how terrifying the other perspective must have been, especially with billowing smoke and roaring flames behind them. EESH.
I had never realized that those automatic closing hotel doors are a fire safety feature (as well as security). Fascinating. I am always learning "oh, so that's why we do that thing!" with Fascinating Horror Thank you.
For a lot of my life, I remember seeing a plaque for 4 local boys when I would go walking with my grandmother in the main street of her city. They were staying at the hotel for a convention. ROMANS REMEMBERED: DALLAS LAMAR BROWN 1930-1946 JAMES EARNEST SLATTON 1930-1946 CHARLES WILKES KEITH 1929-1946 WILLIAM GEORGE WALDEN 1930-1946 EVEN THOUGH THE PHYSICAL BODY IS NO LONGER WITH US, THE MEMORY OF THEM WILL LONG BE CHERISHED IN OUR HEARTS.
The rooms were decorated and furnished with thick carpeting, wood, burlap, paper, dry straw, kindling, and gasoline. Absolutely fireproof. I understand that it was built to 1913 standards, but didn't anyone ever think "Maybe we ought to do a safety inspection and look for potential fire hazards?" I mean, come on, people!
most people alive then had grown up taking fire very much for granted...way more so than people today. before electricity was so widespread, fire was an everyday fact of life. you needed it countless times everyday...to cook, to heat, to wash and iron, to light gas lamps, to power steam engines. and let's not even mention cigars, cigarettes and pipes.
So tragic. Painted burlap on the walls is what i remember hearing in the video. First: it might have looked ugly but two: definitely a fire hazard, no??
It's because of all the tragedies from the past that we now analyze everything by our current safety standards. We are programmed to look for potential risks.
The hotel’s website has a History section which says absolutely nothing about the fire! “HISTORY The original hotel opened in 1913, before the start of World War I, immediately becoming the popular place to stay in the heart of Atlanta. Peachtree Street soon became known for its exclusive hotels, and launched the city's vibrant night life during the 1920s. Fast-forward to 2006, after undergoing considerable renovations, the Ellis Hotel Atlanta, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel opened with a new floorplan to match a contemporary environment while preserving the history of the hotel. Now, in honoring the history, the Ellis Hotel is a proud member of the Historic Hotels of America Association.”
@@tacostew1670 I have revisited the website to respond to your question, and it appears the History section has been deleted! Marriott management keeps tabs on media coverage and may have deleted the page after seeing the FH video.
For decades, I've made it a point to learn primary and secondary escape routes from interior motel/hotel rooms (as opposed to rooms which open directly to the outdoors), and I would walk the routes to the stairway doors, trying to memorize the turns necessary, even counting my steps. (In case of smoke, I would need to crawl close to the floor, and have to count doors along the way.) I only stayed in one house of horrors, where the construction was so utterly convoluted (as best as I could figure, an "H" design, with smaller corridors on each tip of the "H", and even more turns off of those small halls... I tried multiple times to figure it out and commit it to memory, but STILL kept getting lost on my way to the exit stairs -- without an emergency in progress! All I could do was HOPE for no fire during the night; and the fact that I had a 14th floor room number (technically on the 13th floor, which didn't officially exist due to superstitious travellers) was even more unnerving. I didn't care about the number 13, per se, but thirteen floors up without a clear path to an emergency exit was scary as hell! Thankfully, nothing untoward happened that night. But just the thought of it -- another Winecoff in the making... 😮
I used to fly quite often for business and did the same counting steps to emergency exits. Not that plane crashes have great outcomes anyway, but I didn't want to stumble in smoke and burn to death if the crash was survivable.
Some years back I read the book "Fourteen Minutes -- The Last Voyage of the Empress of Ireland" by James Croall. In 1914 the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland was struck at night be another ship, tilted to starboard, the lights went out, and the liner sank in 14 minutes with a thousand fatalities. After the loss of the Titanic two years earlier Canadian Pacific adopted a policy that crew members had to know the layout of their ships, or at least the parts they worked and lived in, so well that the crew members could get out onto an open deck even in the dark. Many of the survivors were crew members who knew how to get outside rather than passengers who had boarded the ship only hours before. The crew and officers did what they could for the passengers. Since reading that book I've been encouraging people to familiarize with their surroundings and to have a plan of escape if needed and not because of fear and paranoia but as reasonable, practical precaution that's just a normal part of life.
There aren't many things we can truly count on in this life, but FH uploading on Tuesday morning (in U.S) is one of them! I always look forward to it and am never disappointed! Thank you ❤
I was in a mirrored elevator at the mall a few days ago when I had a panic attack. I've never had a panic attack in a non mirrored elevator. Maybe I don't like staring at my reflection in a confined space?!
Been trapped in too many - some with views, some with mirrors, my fav being one with a very dim light in an office building that was only open for an odd event on weekend on a 40 degree Celsius day with no aircon and ppl telling us rescue may come in 2hours 🫠😑. TG that lift suddenly started to move, the ppl at the event didn’t even notice it gad stopped
I remember reading about people being trapped in the elevators in the World Trade Center on 9/11 too. I can't imagine how horrifying that was to be stuck in there, just waiting to either succumb to smoke/fire or die in the collapse. 😢
“Well Y’see, we only said that the building was fireproof, not the furnishings nor its occupants, I don’t see the confusion”. - The building’s marketing team, probably
@@dawnstorm9768Yeah really, they didn't learn anything from the Iroquois Theater? Now I have to wonder if there was anyone who remembered the Iroquois fire and still alive at the time of the Winecoff, hearing about that and facepalming.
i just love the structure of your storytelling. overview, backstory, context, buildup, the accident, what went wrong, the consequences, and overview again. its so clear and concise without missing important details.
It never claimed it was The press did, but that's up to them, following Captain Smith's words, that he could not imagine anything being able to do so. White Star themselves, though, stopped short of that, 'labelling it, 'Virtually Unsinkable, "which isn't the same.
Not really since the building burned but was structurally intact and refinished, whereas the Titanic sunk and is still at the bottom of the ocean unusable.
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
One of my second cousins (we shared a great grandparent) was what they called an ambulance driver back when the Winecoff fire occurred. These were not paramedics, rather they just transported people to hospitals and bodies to morgues. He was just out of the US Navy after WW2. He responded to the fire and, when I was a kid, he would tell us stories of that night. He went on to own his own funeral home as a funeral director in the Atlanta area. RIP Cousin Fred.
I've enjoyed your channel for a couple years now... When the Baltimore Bridge Disaster happened this week, I could already hear "On the 26th of March 2024 at 1:28 am, the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore Maryland... "
Thank you for covering our historical local midtown disaster. At least the changes that were made to the building codes made buildings in Atlanta safer. As it is said, regulations are written in blood.
Wow, as a native Georgian and long time Atlanta resident, I really appreciate you covering this. As always, great job! The highlight of my then 10 year dad's life was going to Atlanta to see Song of the South but he never mentioned anything about the hotel, I guess a major fire didn't make an impression on a 10 year old or maybe they moved the location of the movie? I definitely learned some things I didn't know about this local tragedy.
I believe it was said that the theater was right across the street from the hotel. I imagine that any subsequent showings were cancelled, or at least moved.
Song of the South premiered at the Fox, which is actually a fair bit away from the Winecoff/Ellis, on November 12, 1946. The hotel right across the street from the Fox is the Georgian Terrace. This seems to be an oopsie in the facts of the video.
This channel never ceases to amaze me. So many events that I’ve never heard about before. This one had a huge loss of life and I’ve never heard about it. Keep up the great videos.
I guess if there is one bright light constant in any of these stories, the response time of the fire department once the alarm is raised. I am always amazed at how fast they can suit up and be at the scene with water on the fire. no small feat to go from doing whatever they had to do around the firehouse at that time to having to go full A-Game and get to a fire in a small handful of minutes.
I stayed here about 18 years ago, now The Ellis Hotel. I was a smoker at the time and I walked downstairs to smoke and around the corner hidden away is a national register plaque. It basically said the largest loss of life fire happened here and because of that there are new fire and safety codes for buildings. I walked back in an 2 employees were standing behind the counter, a man and a woman and I asked if the place was haunted. The woman said she has heard a lot of stories and the guy dropped the professional demeanor and started saying I don't want to see none of that. I stayed 3 nights, nothing happened. That same year I stayed at the Emily Morgan in San Antonio and it felt way heavier than the Ellis/Winecoff hotel.
There have been bigger loss of life fires, the Winecoff isn't even the largest loss of life fire for a hotel, sadly. There was a skyscraper hotel in south Korea that did the Towering Inferno thing in the 70's.
The whole story really encapsulates the "property before people" philosophy. Both in judging the building "fireproof" when the only thing that would survive a fire would be the structure, and the fire and police services refusing to break into the pharmacy to set up the aid station (and arresting Hanby for doing so).
That's what "Fireproof" means. It doesn't have the same impact to people today, but for context, it meant a measure of safety to the people then, as it was saying "If this building catches on fire, then the entire thing won't collapse."
It’s really cool to me to see some of the events that parked the building codes for fire ratings of doors and frames (I work in the industry). Thank you for the informative documentary. Well done, as always.
I love these videos, I tune in every Tuesday, for years. This morning I woke to the tragedy in my beloved Baltimore, and it just feels so eerie coming to this page, knowing it may very well be on this channel soon..
I wonder why the bellboy in the beginning didn’t use the hotel room’s telephone to call 911? Arnold’s choice to take the photos was bold and risky if Daisy had died. The fact that he was arrested for helping the police get into the pharmacy seems ridiculous
This was before 911 was implemented. He'd have to memorize the local fire department or police numbers. COnsidering the state of the hotel's fire safety procedures, memorizing likely wasn't a requirement.
It is probable that the room phones could only contact reception and that to make an outside call you'd have to phone down to reception and ask them to dial the number and connect you.
You really do about the best job on RU-vid of succinctly giving us information in a great way. We learned in speech class..tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. Most videos on RU-vid just never get to the point and just ramble on for 40+ minutes. You do a perfect job in 10-15 minutes. Always enjoy your videos! Thanks!
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
@@KibuFoxOkay that's good information, but what do you think the average person would think when seeing that claim of fireproof in a building's advertising? I don't think it would be your insurance term's definition. And I highly doubt that any building back then ever put that definition in their literature as a caveat.
@@eywine.7762 The average person today would be ignorant to it and make assumptions without bothering to google a term that they don't understand. A person back then when the structure was built, were well aware that a fireproof building meant the building was safer because, in the event of a fire, the building wouldn't collapse on them, as others which were built with wood structural components, had in recent memory.
It will probably be a while before that video comes out. But from what I'm seeing, it was an electrical issue on the ship just as it was starting to make it's turn to line up with the opening under the bridge. The power came back on too late to correct, but they tried putting it in reverse.
The video of the entire incident is absolutely terrifying. I’ve crossed over similar large bridges spanning active shipping channels, never appreciating that this type of design is so integrated that when one support fails, the entire structure fails in such spectacular fashion. I hope there are some lessons learned from this incident, such as the need to better protect bridge supports from large vessel incursions, like they did in Florida with the replacement Skyway Bridge.
It was shocking waking up and seeing the footage of the bridge collapse on my Twitter timeline today. It folded like a house of cards. It reminded me of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse that was covered on this channel.
What a horrible decision to make calling the fire department a secondary priority. Firefighters’ early arrival would surely have made a huge difference.
For over 20 years, I lived just a couple blocks away from this hotel. For years before I moved and many years while I lived there, it stood empty, derelict. People talked about the property being cursed, since every tenant that went in there left. Finally, probably 10 years ago, it was completely renovated into a nice hotel called The Ellis. A historic marker stands out front.
it was the Peachtree Hotel from 1951-'67 and a Baptist home for the elderly till '81. it was then empty till renovations began for the Ellis, which opened in 2007.
Wow, you absolutely provide some of the most interesting and insightful mini documentaries on important historical events that changed the way things are done today. You package your videos in a very informative and brilliant way. Thank you so much for the great content!
Thanks for this post. I read the book of which you reference. The Winecoff Hotel fire remains the deadliest hotel fire in US history. Let us pray it is never surpassed.
My mom works at a near-century old wooden elementary school. She told me that the school had recently been fitted with 'fire safety windows' to which my immediate first thought was; Oh! Easily opened in case of fire so people can escape! Imagine my face when the next words out of her mouth were "they don't open" Apparently the idea is that they can't be opened as to prevent the surge of oxygen to fuel any potential fire, but like, what use is that if every available exit is blocked by the stuff?
Another great job. That young man should have been made a civic hero for his actions. So very glad he got the Pulitzer for his photo. Cheers Pat in New Jersey
As an architect, the one silver lining to these sorts of tragedies is that building codes with regards to life safety are extremely stringent nowadays. Number of exits required based on occupancy, exit separation distance, fire ratings of exterior and interior walls, the list goes on and on. They say rules are written in blood, but the caveat is that (theoretically) we learn from each tragedy and continue to improve our rules and regulations to prevent further ones from happening.
I grew up in Atlanta, and I am very familiar with the exact location of the building, on Peachtree Street. Such a horrible tragedy, but as with many of the Fascinating Horror documentaries, it led to better future regulation. Thank goodness for the young man who took the photos and had the courage to break into the pharmacy, regardless of the legal consequences. He was a true hero.
Engineering has basically allowed death traps to be made when it comes to high rise buildings. Idk how we don't require high rise buildings to include emergency options. Such as clip in attachments for rappelling out each individual residence.. It's too common we see fire breaks out and people have no option to escape because smoke and fire blocks the internal stairways. So engineers gotta find something new to do and add to improve this reoccurring issue
That doesn't mean what you think it means. Absolutely fireproof is an insurance term that means that the structure of the building is made with fireproof materials (concrete and steel, or brick) and won't collapse if the building catches fire. Compared with wooden structures. The fact that the building didn't collapse, well it did exactly what a fireproof building should.
The term was a gross exaggeration. It meant only that a structure wouldn't _fall down_ if it caught fire. It said nothing about survivability of life or the safety of the contents. Here in Ames, IA, a great object lesson was posed by the Iowa State College Armory. Built of concrete and steel in 1920, it was considered "safe" enough that no fire precautions like sprinklers or standpipes were needed. Sure enough, the unoccupied Armory burned to a hulk one night in 1922. The replacement Armory included all modern fire prevention technology. It still stands today.
I have stayed at the Ellis Hotel many times while working in downtown Atlanta and it is a wonderful hotel. I stayed there the first time not knowing the history - I goggled the hotel and found the story. Being from the area I'd heard about a horrible hotel fire in Atlanta in the 40's but did not realize I was staying in that hotel. The historical marker is around the corner that isn't easy for guests to see - I noticed it while sitting on the outside patio having dinner. I never experienced anything haunted or ghost related which I was grateful for. However, walking the small corridors and looking out the window you can't help but wonder about the complete horror those poor people went through.
Thank you so much for your wonderful vocal delivery, enunciate and pace of delivery. I am hearing impaired and while I watch wearing my hearing aids, I still also use closed captioning to pick up every word. With your delivery, I don’t need CC because I pick up every word with no problem! It’s things like this that creators rarely think of. So thanks from the hearing impaired community!
It's really weird how the fire started. A small pile of furniture sitting out in the hallway, I hope it wasn't arson but it definitely sounds suspicious. It doesn't even sound like it was smoldering, it could've been some now banned flammable material but it went up extremely fast.
Many of the young people killed were from Baker High School in Columbus Georgia. My father ( Otis Gunn), who was a student at Baker and on the Football team, knew all those who died and were injured from his school. Several were close friends. He rarely spoke about the tragedy. The loss was devastating, and at the time incomprehensible. It was a special, much anticipated trip to Atlanta for the students chosen to go. Think how excited they were. How those young people and the school buzzed with excitement. Think of the stories they would have upon returning. Most had never been out of Columbus and Atlanta was the New York of Georgia. All turned to horror that lasted a lifetime.
In one of the books about the Winecoff fire it mentioned that the night desk manager called each room and advised "The hotel is on fire, stay in your room and wait for rescue." Complicating the fire fighting efforts, many guests in the hotel filled bathtubs with water. With that towels were quickly wet and stuffed at the foot of doors. Some people attempted to drench a mattress and shove up against the wooden doors to keep the fires raging in some of the hallways at bay. The land on which the Winecoff sat was the highest point in downtown Atlanta. Water pressure quickly dropped and the nearby fire departments outside of Atlanta that came to help were asked to bring water if possible. Atlanta had two firetrucks made for use in skyscrapers but these were under repair. The ladder trucks they did have could only reach either the fifth or the eighth floor I can't remember which.
Attended my late Fathers WW2 unit reunion the early mid 70’s in Colorado Springs, CO. This was the same Summer that ‘The Towering Inferno’ appeared on movie screens. I do not like heights, even to this day, & the realization we were staying on the 14th floor of the hotel w/nothing but a concrete plaza outside on the ground; made me a very, very unhappy camper.
There's a plaque remembering the Winecoff hotel and fire just next to the Peachtree Center MARTA station entrance with the longest escalator in the southeastern US.
Ad says "Absolutely fireproof." Narrator says: The windows and doors were mostly wooden, had transoms, guest areas decorated with painted burlap, rooms had numerous layers of wallpaper. Me: fireproof, my ass.
Fireproof means that the internal structure of the building is made out of material like concrete and steel, as opposed to wood, and won't collapse in on itself during a fire.
I wonder if Arnold was surprised that catch nets were deemed unsafe less than two decades later and phased out? Either way, he can be proud that his photographs drummed up enough public outrage to power fire safety reforms that are still the standard today.
Having stayed in some older hotels in Atlanta I noticed various later fire protection measures. I used to often stay at the Highland Inn and the later fitting of a sprinkler system was obvious plus gravity sliding closing fire doors held open by a chain with fusible link. I did once stay at the Ellis Hotel but was not aware of the building's history. It was a brief stay for a medical appointment in town.
YES SIR!!! Take a look at this marvel of modern engineering! This building is ABSOLUTELY FIREPROOF!!! You and your fellow guests may burn away to ashes but rest assured the building will be standing tall long after all your funeral arrangements! Let me tell you son, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
The Francis Scott Key bridge by me in Baltimore was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed last night. Cant imagine the horror felt by those on the bridge at the time.
Watching this the same day tha Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore. Have a sad feeling I’ll be seeing a video like this covering what happened there.
My first thought when i saw the photo of the woman falling was "damn i wouldn't want that photo of me out there" but then I Heard the rest and I'm like shit that guys a hero
Wow! I've lived my whole life here in Atlanta - walked past that building so many times - and I've never heard about this! Fascinating, as always, thank you for your awesome journalism 💚🙏🕊
I’ve been terrified of hotel and high-rise fires since watching (at a way too young age) footage of the 1972 Rault Center fire in New Orleans, during which five trapped women jumped from a 15th-floor window to the roof of a smaller adjacent building. Four died and one miraculously survived but broke nearly every bone in her body. (As an aside, I was a young child when I saw the footage on TV, and I thought the building was a hotel for many years.) In my 40s I became disabled and began using a wheelchair about 80% of the time. I can’t climb up or down stairs at all. I remember reading stories of disabled people who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and of one woman whose coworkers carried her in her wheelchair down 70-something flights of stairs. Anyway, the main reason I’m commenting here (other than to say great video!) is that I have learned over the years that very few large chain-type hotels have wheelchair accessible rooms on the first floor or even the first three floors. Most larger hotels have event spaces and restaurants on those floors. I almost always end up staying in a non-accessible room in order to be as close to the ground as possible. I could probably crawl or drag myself down one or two flights, but remembering those pictures from the WTC stairwells, I can only imagine myself blocking others from escaping. Hotels need to do better!
I wonder if you would consider covering the Castle Villeneuve/Castle Inn explosion in Picton, Ontario. I remember reading about it but can't find any videos on it.
