{"id":1864,"date":"2018-08-28T22:48:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T02:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/?page_id=1864"},"modified":"2026-08-01T19:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T23:11:14","slug":"the-fire-of-1902","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/the-fire-of-1902\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fire of 1902"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Great Paterson Fire of 1902<\/strong> was the most devastating disaster in the history of Paterson, New Jersey. Occurring on the night of February 8\u20139, 1902<\/strong>, the fire destroyed much of the city’s commercial center, left thousands homeless, and transformed the appearance of downtown Paterson. Although the destruction was immense, the disaster also marked the beginning of a remarkable rebuilding effort that gave the city many of its most recognizable early twentieth-century buildings.<\/p>\n

The Fire Begins<\/h2>\n

Shortly after midnight on February 9, 1902<\/strong>, flames were discovered in the trolley car barns of the Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson Railway Company<\/strong> on Broadway near Mulberry Street. Investigators believed the fire may have originated from an overheated stove or heating apparatus inside the large wooden trolley shed. The building, filled with dry timber and electric trolley cars, quickly became engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n

Conditions could not have been worse. A powerful winter wind, estimated at 50 to 60 miles per hour<\/strong>, drove burning embers across the city. Despite the immediate response of every available Paterson fire company, the flames rapidly spread through closely packed wood-frame buildings and commercial blocks. Mutual aid companies from neighboring cities, including Jersey City and Hackensack, responded, but the blaze continued virtually unchecked for many hours.<\/p>\n

A City in Flames<\/h2>\n

The fire swept southeast through the heart of downtown, consuming banks, hotels, department stores, churches, office buildings, homes, and public institutions.<\/p>\n

Among the buildings destroyed were:<\/p>\n