Thursday, October 23, 1947 would later become known among firefighters in Maine as Red Thursday. It was the day of the "Big Wind."
At daybreak Thursday, between 40 and 50 fires were burning in Maine. On Mount Desert Island, at about 10:00 a.m. that morning, the wind shifted dramatically and unexpectedly, picking up speed, and for the first time since the ordeal began, there was talk of evacuation. As the fire approached Hull's Cove, firefighters prepared to protect the few houses that were on the outskirts of town. Embers that flew on the strong winds ahead of the fire landed on the roofs of some of these houses. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the fire was gone. The wind again changed direction, away from Hull's cove. The only houses lost were the few that had been hit by flying embers.
The fire now moved quickly, driven by winds of up to 70mph, across and up Cadillac Mountain. Sieur de Monts spring was consumed. The fire was now bearing down on the southern end of Bar Harbor, and Jackson Laboratory.
Jackson Laboratory, at the south end of Bar Harbor, was a cancer research facility. It housed, among other things, decades of vital cancer research records, and approximately 90,000 mice. Lab workers believed the records and the mice would be safe in the lab's newly completed fire-safe wing.
At 4:10 p.m. that Thursday afternoon the signal to evacuate came. Seven short blasts from the firehouse whistle. A pause. Then seven more blasts. Fire crews could no longer guarantee the safety of Bar Harbor residents. The fire had grown out of control.
The caravan of cars leaving MDI grew to as many as 700. It moved slowly to the mainland as night fell. Since fire had cut off the main route off the island through Hull's Cove, evacuees were forced to take the much longer south route through Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, and Asticou. At about ten minutes of five, fire crossed the road to Seal Harbor, near Otter Creek. Now there was no way off the island by car.
The intense heat of the fire at the southern end of Bar Harbor completely consumed Jackson Laboratory. The administrative wing that housed records, slides, files, and 30,000 mice was completely destroyed. In the fire-safe wing, the 2" fire doors held, but were buckled by the intense heat. The walls of the wing also held, but when the roof burned it collapsed and 60,000 mice were lost.
At 6:00 p.m. the fire was raging out of control, driven by the fierce winds. The decision was made to evacuate the remaining residents by boat from the municipal pier. All available vessels were summoned from around Frenchmen's Bay. The Coast Guard had dispatched four of its cutters from as far away as Boston. The Navy Destroyer U.S.S. Perry, which was in Portland Harbor, was sent to help evacuate the twenty-five hundred people waiting at the pier.
As Coast Guard cutters and the Perry steamed toward MDI, smaller vessels were able to get about 400 people off the pier to safety before word came that they had reopened the Hull's Cove Road. For three hours, firefighters fought a fierce battle to control the raging fire. The three-hour battle paid off. After consuming everything on the west side of Eden street, and the DeGregoire Hotel, the fire was stopped just a few blocks from the pier.
The fire was still raging on the southern part of the island, threatening Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, and Northeast Harbor, but Bar Harbor's ordeal was over. The dramatic stand made by firefighters on the night of October 23rd saved the center of Bar Harbor and many of the buildings there, but the fire took its toll on the town. Initial estimates put losses at around 200 houses. Included in these were 60 to 70 mansions along Bay Drive. Life magazine dubbed it "Millionaire's Row," a nickname that has stuck even to this day. The aftermath looked like a war zone. One observer remarked, "the chimneys stood like gravestones over once fine houses." The business district was intact, but all the hotels, and the Jackson Laboratory had been destroyed.
The fire was not declared under control until October 27. Stubborn unground fires burned weeks later even after rain and snow. At 4:00 p.m. on November 14, the fire was officially pronounced out.
