Peachtree 25th Building
The Peachtree 25th Building is a ten-story high-rise office building, located on the southwest corner of Peachtree Street and 25th Street in northwest Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between Midtown and Buckhead.
Built in the 1960s, it became well known for the major building fire that occurred there on 30 June 1989. That morning, the power went out on the sixth floor. Just before 10:30, a high-voltage short circuit occurred when a fuse was being replaced, the resulting massive and blinding electrical arc vaporized about 10 feet (3 m) of bus bar and wiring duct, and along with the fire itself, killed the electrician who was making the installation. The resulting blaze killed four others due to smoke inhalation, because the electrical closet was placed next to the main hallway between the offices and the emergency exits, blocking their escape due to the extreme heat and dense smoke. Firefighters from the Atlanta Fire Department rescued 14 by ladder truck through broken windows, and five more from inside the building, as well as a woman who had already jumped and was seriously injured. A total of 23 civilians and six firefighters were injured.
The building was not equipped with fire sprinklers or smoke detectors at the time of construction, and was not required to be so equipped by the local and state government fire codes of the time. When codes were improved, the building, like others, was grandfathered and was not required to have them retrofitted either. Despite this, frequent fire drills in the building, and the fact that it was a Friday before the Independence Day holiday (keeping building occupancy down to 60%) helped to reduce casualties. Because of the fire, the Atlanta city council voted to require retrofits in older buildings.