Thanksgiving Day Fire, 1982

Guided by History completes a triptych on the "Great Thanksgiving Fire" of 1982 that destroyed a block of iconic buildings in downtown Minneapolis. (Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

Witnesses claim they heard a man say to a woman companion, "I should get a reward for starting it!" The couple were walking away from the deserted building that used to be Donaldson's department store  in downtown Minneapolis. It was about 5:00 p.m. on November 25, 1982.

Thanksgiving Day.

The Donaldson's building at Nicollet Mall and 6th Street was being demolished, and the fire began when debris in the building was ignited. The suspicion at first was arson, though it was unclear while firefighters tackled the blaze and for a few days following. Fire from the vacant structure leaped to the adjacent Northwestern National Bank building and the top12 floors of that building. Snapshots from eyewitnesses record a dramatic show of flames, smoke, sparks and the streams of water. With daylight on Friday, the whole block was an eerie world of icicles and frozen monuments of rubble as damp smoke rose from the stubborn fire.

The Minneapolis Fire Department  was a little short-staffed due to the holiday, but those on duty rushed to fight the historic fire. They were joined by 50 more off-duty personnel who left their dinners. Neighboring St. Paul firefighters  monitored activities closely in the event their assistance was needed. Very quickly on arrival at the fire, the Fire Department was able to contain it to the one city block the buildings formed. Firefighters were able to attack the blaze from inside the structures by 8:00 p.m.