1910 | The Great Lake Charles Fire

109 Building Destroyed by Flames

Jun 24, 2023

You've undoubtedly heard of the great Chicago fire of 1871. It's covered in most American History books. The Great New Orleans fire of 1794 is mentioned in eighth grade Louisiana History books. But, little is ever said of the Lake Charles fire. Had I not been researching the New Orleans fire, I may have never stumbled upon the story of the Lake Charles fire. I guess in means a little more to me because I frequent Ryan Street and the lakeshore area.

1910

On a lazy Saturday afternoon in April in Lake Charles, around 3 p.m., a young boy noticed a small fire starting in a trash can behind the old opera house saloon on North Ryan Street. Immediately, the boy threw water on the fire while another ran to notify the fire department. Firefighters rushed to the scene, but the gusty southeastern winds complicated matters, and soon they lost control of the spreading fire.1

Wind-blown embers caused spot fires in various parts of the city. A house two blocks away on Kirkman Street caught fire and rose in flames. Spot fires were reported throughout the city.

Fueled by the wind and the presence of wooden buildings, the fire spread rapidly.

Calls for Help

Local sawmills provided fire hoses and pumps, and volunteers stepped forward to fight the fire. Orange, Beaumont, Alexandria, and the Jennings fire departments were sent telegrams requesting help. Special trains set up by the South Pacific Railroad transported these departments to Lake Charles. However, the fire was nearing its end when the crews and equipment arrived.

Spreading

In less than 30 minutes, the fire crossed Ryan Street and ignited the Catholic Church, convent, and school buildings. Simultaneously, it spread southward, consuming all the wooden structures. Soon after, the parish courthouse, city hall, central fire station, and dozens of other buildings were engulfed.2

Pithon Coulee halted the fire's progression south along Ryan Street. This coulee contained a freshwater swamp beneath Front Street (now Lakeshore Drive). The swamp acted as a barrier, preventing the fire from advancing into a newly developed residential area.

Fearing their homes could be the next to be affected, individuals and families began evacuating, taking their household goods and furnishings. Some families placed their belongings on the street to save them, and there are family stories of houses being spared while the items on the road caught fire and burned. An interesting anecdote involves the Christian Church on Iris Street, which removed its precious new organ and placed it on the street, only to lose both the organ and the church in the flames. According to reports, it would have been insured if they had kept the organ inside the church.

A gusting wind from the southwest carried embers and smoke across Ryan Street, spreading towards the north and east. Shop owners and homeowners dampened quilts and blankets, using them to smother ground flames. Firefighters utilized steam-powered pumps to draw water from the lake and hydrants, attempting to extinguish flames on roofs and porches.

The New Orleans Times-Democrat reported that dynamite was brought in and used to raise some of the burning structures.3

Aftermath

A total of sixteen blocks suffered damage from the fire. If the wind hadn't subsided by 5 p.m., the fire could have caused even more destruction.

The fire destroyed 109 buildings, but fortunately, no lives were lost. However, there were reports of some citizens sustaining severe burns. Judge Winston Overton called on Company K of the Louisiana National Guard to patrol the streets4, and those left homeless were welcomed into the homes of those fortunate enough to be spared from the flames.

The Elks Lodge and Masonic Lodge generously offered their buildings to the city and parish as temporary venues for conducting business. In response, an emergency meeting of the City Council took place at the Majestic Hotel, which had managed to survive the fire. The hotel's management utilized its modern and self-contained water system to spray water on the roofs and sides of the adjacent buildings and those across the street.

Offers of aid poured into the mayor’s office.

"Lake Charles feels grateful to its sister cities for the splendid and prompt support tendered in the time of need. Lake Charles is in no need of any financial aid. While some suffered who could ill afford to, all can be cared for by our own people. The burned district will be rebuilt at once, this time with buildings that will be modern in every particular, fireproof to the letter." - Statement by Mayor C.B. Richard and Mayor Pro Temp John H. Pope.

Lake Charles wasted no time in returning to normalcy. Debris was cleared the following day, and Ryan Street was reopened to traffic. Within a week, construction had commenced on homes and businesses in the area. Despite having lost everything in the fire, local grocers reopened in nearby locations within days, while plans were already underway to rebuild the church, school, city hall, and courthouse.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff D.J. Reid, in an effort to keep some resemblance of a jail open, housed parish prisoners as guests in his home at Ford and Pine Streets for a year.

The reconstruction of the parish, business, and church records was necessary. The effort to partially reconstruct parish land records took an additional 12 months, and many land abstracts still begin with the words "on the 23rd of April 1910, a great conflagration" to account for some inconsistencies in tracking ownership.

An assessment was conducted regarding the actions of the paid fire department, as well as the availability of hydrants and water pressure. Unfortunately, Fire Chief Luther Sudduth was dismissed, but the water company's performance review found that it provided sufficient water pressure.

Less than a month before the Lake Charles fire, a similar fire destroyed much of the business district of Welsh (30 miles to the east of Lake Charles), and Chief Sudduth and the Lake Charles Fire Department had assisted Welsh fireman.5

Ultimately, the fire caused $750,000 in damage. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would be equivalent to 22 million dollars in damages as of 2022. ▪️

🔥 SEE AN INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP OF THE BURN AREA WITH LANDMARKS

Photos from the 1910 Lake Charles Fire. [Louisiana Digital Library]

Lost Lake Charles

by Adley Cormier

It was hard to squeeze in everything about the Lake Charles fire into a 3-4 minute read. That's why I suggest learning more with a copy of Cormier's book, Lost Lake Charles. It also covers hurricanes, pirates, and a whole mix of other things in Lake Charles! Get it here.

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