235 Items Tagged

Fires

Sag Harbor, New York

Sag Harbor Cinema

This century-old independent movie theater with an iconic Art Deco neon sign survived a devastating fire in 2016.

The Ivinghoe Fire Hook

Ivinghoe, England

The Ivinghoe Fire Hook

Before firefighters, villagers relied on this simple hook to save their thatched cottages from a fiery doom.

Yazoo City, Mississippi

Yazoo City Main Street

A downtown filled with nearly deserted historic buildings was revived as a pastel paradise.

Seoul, South Korea

Namdaemun

A symbol of hope, survival, and national character, especially after it rose phoenix like from the flames.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Aw, Hell! Crossword

AO Puzzles August 14, 2023

Richmond, Virginia

Monumental Church

A church now sits over the site of one of the worst urban disasters of early 19th-century America.

An adult male orangutan contemplates his next move in haze produced by Indonesia’s 2015 wildfires.

Wildfire Smoke Changes Orangutan Calls in Borneo

During massive fires in Indonesia, the critically endangered primates' voices provided clues to their overall health.

Wendy Erb July 3, 2023

Edinburgh, Scotland

James Braidwood Statue

Dedicated to the Father of the British Fire Service.

However long this snowman effigy, known as the Bӧӧgg, takes to burn will determine the remaining length of winter.

To Banish Winter in This Tiny Wisconsin Town, Burn a Swiss Snowman

The burning of the Bӧӧgg is like a fiery version of Groundhog’s Day, but with fireworks and sausages.

Tea Krulos May 2, 2023

Big Walker Mountain Fire Tower

Wytheville, Virginia

Big Walker Lookout

A 100-foot metal tower and swinging bridge that provides stunning views of mountains in five states.

Glasgow, Scotland

Cheapside Street Fire Memorial

This colorful mosaic remembers one of Britain's most deadly peacetime fires.

The old Kiosk saw mill

Nipissing District, Ontario

Kiosk Ghost Town

All that remains of this former mill town is a ranger station and some crumbling buildings.

Smokey Bear Park

International Falls, Minnesota

Smokey Bear Park

Home to a 26-foot-tall statue of an American icon.

Park of the Souls

Acharnes, Greece

Park of Souls

After a catastrophic forest fire, a Greek artist transformed scorched tree trunks outside an old sanatorium into this haunting sculpture garden.

Sedalia, Colorado

Devil’s Head Lookout Tower

This Colorado fire station has been in continuous operation for more than a century.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Burn, Baby, Burn Crossword

AO Puzzles August 22, 2022

Mount Tarrengower Lookout Tower

Maldon, Australia

Mount Tarrengower Lookout Tower

A timber transport car and a team of horses were needed to carry this lookout to the top of Mount Tarrengower in the 1920s.

The Archivists Who Rediscovered 700 Years of Irish History

The Virtual Record Treasury is recreating much of what was lost in a Dublin fire a century ago.

Amy Crawford July 20, 2022