At 1:08 PM, Thursday, October 14, 2004, Savannah firefighters were dispatched to 1301 Montgomery Street on the report of a structure fire. Captain D. Pridgeon also reported heavy black smoke showing from Station 5, which is located only three blocks away.
Upon arrival at 1:09, an interior fire attack was initiated but conditions quickly deteriorated due to the heavy fire load. A Task Force was requested, and tactics then changed to a defensive operation.
In the end, the structure was declared a total loss. Due to the instability of the remaining walls, the rest of the building was torn down before the sun set on the scene.
Companies rotated throughout the night on fire watch.
