THE GREAT BALTIMORE FIRE

On February 8, 1904, 1,526 buildings and 2,500 businesses in downtown Baltimore were consumed by a fire that raged for more than 30 hours and took more than 1,200 firefighters from a dozen major cities to bring under control. Baltimore historian Peter Petersen keeps the focus on the local details and contemporary accounts. Augmented by sirens, bells, crackling fire sounds, Ross Ballard creates a lively soundtrack. Although his Irish brogue is a bit inconsistent, he makes up for it with vocal enthusiasm. Nonstandardized fire hoses and hydrants, lax building codes, and overcrowding made America's rapidly growing cities of 100 years ago frequent candidates for disaster. This is an excellent case study. B.P. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]