Great New Auburn Fire
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Le Grand Incendie du Nouvel-Auburn

Auburn, Maine

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The Museum in the Streets

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Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

1. Great New Auburn Fire / Le Grand Incendie du Nouvel-Auburn Marker

The Great New Auburn Fire was started by an 11-year-old boy behind a gas station on Mill Street just after lunchtime on Monday, May 15, 1933. The fire, pushed by high gusting winds, spread rapidly through old wooden tenements and businesses. Bits of burning material carried for blocks, setting fires in advance of the main blaze. Low water pressure hampered the fire fighters. Embers carried across the river and started three blazes in Lewiston. Fire crews were placed on the roofs of the massive Continental Mill and on tenement buildings on Oxford and River Streets. The fierce firestorm consumed much of lower New Auburn; 249 buildings were destroyed; 422 families and 2,167 individuals were left homeless. The Wilson School, St. Louis School, and Beth Abraham Synagogue were lost.

Un enfant de 11 ans est responsible du grand incendie due Nouvel-Auburn, quie démarre derrière une station-service de la rue Mill après le déjeuner, le 15 mai 1933. L'incendie, poussé par des vents vieolents, s'éntend rapidement aux vieux bâtiment s de bois et aux commerces. Des matières enflammées sont projetées à la ronde et allument

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des foyers secondaires en amont du foyer principal. Le manque de pression d'eau gêne les pompiers. Des braises traversent la rivière et causent trois départs de feu à Lewiston. Des équipes de pompiers montent sur le toit du gigantesque Moulin Continental et sur les bâtiments d'habitation dans les rues Oxford et River. Ce violent incendie ravage une bonne partie du Nouvele-Auburn; 249 bâtiment sont détruits; 422 families et 2167 personnes se retrouvent sans abri. Les écoles Wilson et Saint Louis ainsi que la synagogue Beth Abraham sont anéanties.
 
Erected 2019 by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number A13.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Auburn-Lewiston, Maine series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 15, 1933.
 
Location. 44° 5.66′ N, 70° 13.5′ W. Marker is in Auburn, Maine, in Androscoggin County. It is on Auburn Riverwalk 0.2 miles north of Main Street (Maine Route 136) when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

2. Great New Auburn Fire / Le Grand Incendie du Nouvel-Auburn Marker

208 Main St, Auburn ME 04210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Edward Little House 1827 / La Maison d'Edward Little 1827 (within shouting distance of this marker); Ecology of the Riverbanks / La Biodiversité des Berges (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Development of New Auburn / Le Nouvel Auburn (about 400 feet away); River Pollution and Restoration / Pollution et Restoration de la Rivière (about 500 feet away); Roak Block (about 600 feet away); Foss Mansion / Le Manoir Foss (about 600 feet away); 10,000 Years of Wabanaki History / 10 000 Ans d'Histoire Wabanaki (about 700 feet away); Cities of the Androscoggin (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Auburn.

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 837 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.