The Postcard
A postally unused carte postale that was published by Imp.-Phot. des Établissements Ch. Collas et Cie of Cognac. The card has a divided back.
The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, leaving more than 70,000 people homeless.
The fire burned for 32 hours, and destroyed 9,500 houses within an extent of 1 square kilometre. Half the Jewish population emigrated from the city as their livelihoods were gone.
Rather than quickly rebuilding, the government commissioned the French architect Ernest Hébrard to design a new urban plan for the burned areas and for the future expansion of the city. His designs are still evident in the city, most notably Aristotelous Square, although some of his most grandiose plans were never completed due to a lack of funds.
Thessaloniki was one of the largest and most modern cities in Europe by Balkan standards at the time of the fire. By European standards, the city's planning was chaotic, and the unhygienic conditions that prevailed in the poorer areas were described as "unacceptable" by the government in Athens.
The Fire
According to the findings of the Court of Thessaloniki, the fire began at roughly 15:00, by accident at a small house of refugees at Olympiados 3, in the Mevlane district between the centre and the Upper City.
A spark from the kitchen fire fell on a pile of straw and ignited it. Due to lack of water and indifference, the initial fire was not put out. Eventually, an intense wind carried the fire to the neighbouring houses, and it continued throughout central Thessaloniki.
Initially the fire followed two directions, to the Residency, and to the market. The Residency was saved by its employees, who hurried to help. The wind strengthened and continued to spread the fire towards the centre of the city. In the early morning of the next day, the wind changed direction, and the two fronts of the fire destroyed the whole commercial centre.
At 12:00, the fire passed around the grounds of the church of Haghia Sophia without burning it, and continued eastward up to the road of Ethnikis Amynis, where it stopped. On the evening of that day the fire completely died out.
Efforts at Firefighting
There was not enough water for firefighting because in order to serve their camps and hospitals in the suburbs of the city, the Allied forces controlled water reserves, which were reduced due to the drought of that summer and the high water consumption of the growing population.
More significantly, the city government did not have an organised fire brigade; a few firefighting teams were privately owned by insurance companies that protected only their subscribers. The private firefighters were found to be untrained and equipped with old or no equipment.
In the afternoon of the first day of the fire, a French detachment exploded three houses next to the Diikitirio to create a buffer zone or area of safety. However, the French detachment did not continue, and ended up withdrawing, leaving the fire to continue on its destructive course. The next morning, two British fire engines and teams stopped the fire near the White Tower. French soldiers saved the customs building.
The Allied forces rejected the idea of interrupting the water supply to their camps and hospitals to use for firefighting. General Maurice Sarrail visited the region of Diikitiriou for a few hours during the afternoon of the first day, but he did not return.
Several reports noted that French soldiers looted stores and businesses and prevented householders from rescuing their goods. The next day, General Sarrail ordered the execution of two French soldiers who were arrested for selling stolen jewels.
The British soldiers assisted in the firefight for as long as they could, using military lorries to transport fire victims and their goods to refugee settlements. Drivers of French cars reportedly asked for pourboire - tips, for the same service.
The Level of Destruction
The fire destroyed 32% of Thessaloniki, about 1 square kilometre. The extent of material damage within Thessaloniki was calculated to be worth 8,000,000 golden pounds.
Included among buildings that were burned were the post office, the telegraph office, the town hall, the water supply, gas company headquarters, the Ottoman Bank, the National Bank of Greece, the deposits of the Bank of Athens, parts of the Saint Demetrius church, two other Orthodox churches, the Saatli Mosque, 11 other mosques, the seat of the chief rabbi with all its archive, 16 of the 33 synagogues, and the printing-houses of most newspapers.
Thessaloniki had the highest number of published newspapers in Greece, but after the fire most did not manage to rebuild their businesses and publish again. Approximately 4,096 of the 7,695 shops within the city were destroyed, many of which were Jewish, and 70% of the workforce was rendered unemployed.
The people affected by the fire totalled 73,447.
Refugees After the Fire.
The care for the fire victims started immediately: Greek authorities constructed 100 houses to shelter 800 families. The British authorities established three settlements with 1,300 tents, where they accommodated 7,000 homeless. The French authorities set up a settlement for 300 families, and built the Union of French Ladies, a smaller camp for 100 families.
Together they transported 5,000 people by train for free and relocated the refugees to Athens, Volos and Larissa. The Greek authorities set up distribution points providing free bread to 30,000 individuals. The American, French, and British Red Cross distributed food among the homeless.
Nearly half the city's Jews, having lost both homes and shops, soon emigrated to western countries, mainly France and the United States, while some emigrated to Palestine.
Compensation
After the destruction of the city, insurance companies sent their agents to survey the damage. There were rumours that Germans or French had caused the fire by arson, but these were disproved.
The total amount of insurance contracts was about 3,000,000 golden pounds. The majority of insurance companies within the region were British. The insurance company, North British and Mercantile Insurance, had to compensate 3,000 insurance contracts. The Court deemed the fire was caused by accidental reasons. Under the pressure of Greek and foreign authorities along with the Court, all of the insurance policies were completely paid.
Reconstruction of The City
Only a few days after the fire, the Venizelos government announced that it would not allow reconstruction of the city as it was. They intended to create a new city instead, according to an urban plan. The Minister of Transports Alexandros Papanastasiou was given the lead.
He founded the "International Committee for the New Plan of Thessaloniki". He appointed as chairman the French architect and archaeologist Ernest Hébrard, who supervised development of the plan.
Delivered to the General Administration of Macedonia on the 29th. June 1918, the plan was to redevelop the city along European lines. It went through many changes, but established improved transportation routes, squares and other amenities to support a large population.
