The Wincoff Hotel Fire December 7, 1946 began just as any other day previous at the Winecoff Hotel, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Winecoff Hotel, originally designed with approximately 200 rooms and a capacity of about 300 occupants (Woolley, 1947, Fire Engineering) and on this faithful day, no rooms were available. The hotel was the residence of the original owner and builder, William Winecoff and his wife Grace (Firehouse, Nov. 26, 2002) following the total destruction of their residence on 8, December 1913. Both William and Grace Winecoff would perish along with 117 people that tragic morning. At approximately 0342 of the morning of December 7, 1946, a call received at Atlanta Fire Department headquarters reporting a fire at 176 Peachtree Street Northeast, the Winecoff Hotel. Engine 8 arrived within two minutes to the scene and reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the third, fourth and fifth floors and due to rapidly advancing fire conditions a 2nd alarm was requested at 0344 hours.…show more content… Immediately following the Winecoff fire, the city of Atlanta made substantial changes in their building and enforcement codes. These changes occurred too late for the victims of the Winecoff Fire but thanks to these changes the building today are much safer and fire retardate.
Some of those changes made by the city of Atlanta were mandatory automatic sprinkler systems and fire alarms in all multiple occupant type-buildings. However, the mandatory code upgrades the city building officials demanded were nullified by the politicians due to complaints of not being obtainable by current property owners.
The changes attempted by local officials were a step in the right direction but due to political influence fell short of their intended desire of maintaining public
