 The former Winecoff Hotel, now the Ellis Hotel | |
| Date | December 7, 1946 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Winecoff Hotel |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°45′30″N 84°23′16″W / 33.7583°N 84.3878°W |
| Type | Fire |
| Cause | Unknown |
| Deaths | 119 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 65 |
The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners. Located at 176 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the Winecoff Hotel was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, its interior finishes were combustible and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors. All of the hotel's occupants above the fire's origin on the third floor were trapped, and the fire's survivors either were rescued from upper-story windows or jumped into nets held by firemen.
A number of victims jumped to their deaths. A photograph of one survivor's fall won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The fire — which followed the June 5, 1946, La Salle Hotel fire in Chicago (with 61 fatalities), and the June 9, also 1946, Canfield Hotel fire in Dubuque, Iowa (with 19 fatalities) — spurred significant changes in North American building codes, most significantly requiring multiple protected means of egress and self-closing fire-resistant doors for guest rooms in hotels.