Wise Up Productions

On a humid morning back in June of 1984, shortly before 1:00 a.m., flames erupted inside the Montgomery Fair building, a landmark that had stood as a witness to generations of the city's changing fortunes. By the time the first fire units arrived, the blaze had already claimed the upper hand. Fire burst through the four-story structure, sending towering flames and thick black smoke into the night sky as police sealed off the streets.

The inferno came less than twenty-four hours after another devastating fire had reduced the ornate sanctuary of the 74-year-old Church of the Ascension on McDonough Street, leaving Montgomery to wonder whether fate itself had turned against its historic heart.

Mayor Emory Folmar stood among the flashing lights and falling embers, watching as firefighters battled to save what they could. A security guard at the First Alabama Bank reported the fire at 12:54 a.m., but the fire had already spread with frightening speed.

The old Montgomery Fair building, vacant since 1966, was in the midst of a remarkable rebirth. A $3 million restoration project, led by Philip L. Sellers, was nearly halfway complete. The building had been chosen as the future home of the Alabama Department of Pensions and Security, with employees expected to move into their restored headquarters by December. Instead, the painstaking work of preservation was consumed in a matter of hours.

Sixteen fire units, joined by 64 firefighters and support personnel, answered the four-alarm call. They fought relentlessly against the blaze until it was finally brought under control around 3:00 a.m. Though the building suffered catastrophic damage, the courage of those on the front lines prevented an even greater disaster. Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion at local hospitals and later released.