Fire-Resistant Construction
Before the Great Baltimore Fire, buildings were considered "fire-proof," but that phrase was considered a misnomer afterward, as those buildings deemed fire-proof were burned and damaged in the fire. After the fire, the National Fire Protection Association came up with requirements for new fire-resistant buildings.
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How was the infrastructure changed after the fire?
What problems did they realize about the construction and the buildings? "Well, there was no such thing as a fireproof building. We had five structures that were declared to be fireproof and they weren’t. They didn’t burn down and sit in a big pile of rubble, but it gutted the buildings and there was very little left. A lot of the buildings still had structures, which was all fine and good,but when you had no roof and no floor and no windows, it was basically a shell. There were five buildings that survived that were considered fireproof, but barely, and that’s something they addressed." - Melissa Heaver, curator and archivist at Fire Museum of Maryland |