05/24/2025
May 29, 1971: Fire at Davis Brothers cafeteria on Luckie Street claims the lives of four Atlanta firefighters
ATLANTA, May 30 (UPI) —Four firemen were killed and 22 other persons were injured late last night when an explosion ripped through a downtown cafeteria where the firemen were fighting a blaze.
The fire, at Davis Brothers, an all‐night restaurant, started in the basement of the two‐story building. The blast occurred while the firemen were attempting to get hoses into the basement area.
The dead men were identified today as Capt. L. B. Grady and Privates V. J. Crider, C. D. Fernander and H. Howard Beck of the Atlanta Fire Department.
Of the 22 who were injured, including four civilians who were apparently employees of the cafeteria, eight were admitted to an Atlanta hospital. One of those was released this morning and the seven others were reported to be in “satisfactory” condition.
The bodies of the four dead firemen were found in the rubble following the explosion. There were about 20 firemen in the building when the explosion tore through the floor beneath them.
When the fire began in the basement, where the kitchen and rest rooms were situated, smoke drifted into the restaurant itself and the building was quickly evacuated. None of the customers was reported injured.
48 years ago today, what a sad day for AFD and Friends and family
