Atlanta, GA Fire, Dec 1907

Flames Damage Four Buildings
Drug Store, Meat Market, Two Residences and Store Burn.
Fire Starts in Drug Store

Blaze Not Notices Until the Flames Had Burned Their Way Into the Residence of Captain Summers, Who Lives Next to Drug Store.

Fire, which started last night shortly before 9 o’clock, badly damaged four buildings on and near the corner of Ridge avenue and Pryor street, inflicting a total loss in the neighborhood of $15,000.

The blaze originated, it is said, in the drug store of Dr. Brantley, which is on the corner of Pryor street and Ridge avenue, but was not noticed until the flames had eaten their way through the partition which separates the drug store from the residence of Captain James Summers.

Mr. and Mrs. Summers were compelled to make a hasty retreat from their home and were able to save very few articles of furniture and other personal possessions. Mrs. Summers was prostrated by the shock, and for a while it was thought she was in a serious condition. She rallied a little later, however, and is now rapidly recovering.

Two Other Buildings Catch.
The flames spread from Brantley drug store and the Summers home to a meat market which is run by Tom Summers, and to an unoccupied three story brick store belonging to I. C. Clark, and to the residence of J. L. Johnson, a street car man.

The fire lasted something like three hours, ringing out at 11:48 o’clock, in the neighborhood when the blaze was first noticed the greatest of confusion reigned, but upon the arrival of the fire department this subsided. The headway that had been made by the flames gave the firemen some hard work, and it was all they could do to keep it within the limits of the [illegible] buildings. For awhile it almost appeared as if the whole block would go but about 11 o’clock everything was under control and it took only an hour more to extinguish the fire.

During the fire Fireman Ben Peyton of No 9 [illegible] his hand badly hurt.
The damage will probably amount to something like $15,000. In the Brantley drug store there was about $3.000 worth of stock, a soda fountain valued at $1,000. The building was worth about $1,500. It is not thought the buildings were fully covered by insurance.

Dr. J. L. E. Brantley made the following statement: “I do not know how the [illegible] originated, for it seems to have started before anyone happened to see it. Mrs. Summers was prostrated from the excitement. I should think the total damage will amount to between $10,000 and 16,000.”

The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA 16 Dec 1907
__________________