By:
Daniel E. Blaney (DB)
Joyce Rorabaugh (JR)

DB - The August 15th 1907 fire was probably the biggest single event that really took away the Victorian aspect of Old Orchard. The fire burnt everything on both sides of each grand avenue from the railroad tracks to the ocean, and nothing could be done to stop that fire.
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JR - 17 hotels were burned. Everybody was out walking, they were going to activities in other hotels. No one was in bed. And when the fire broke out with the evening breeze, it’s spread very rapidly because all buildings were wood. So 5000 people were put out onto this beach by this fire. But nobody was killed. It was amazing.
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DB - The fire could be seen from as far as Portsmith Maine to Sebago Lake. Portland brought down fire trucks on a flatbed train but the tracks were bent: they couldn’t get the train close enough. It took to about midnight to get the fire under control and on Thanksgiving day, they were still putting water on the hot spots on that fire.
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JR - It was years before they could rebuild because a lot of people were underinsured or not insured. Because nothing was immediately rebuilt, the wealthy went elsewhere.
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DB - Before, it was all big hotels and elite family. After the hotels went, that was beginning to start with the smaller places, the advent of motels and cottages. The pier was gone, the hotels were gone, it became more of blue-collar town.