The Great Fire of Colón 1915

On April 30, 1915, at 2 in the afternoon, a fire broke out in the Wagner building located at the corner of 8th Street and Bolívar Avenue, caused by an unattended candle. The fire spread rapidly due to contact with highly flammable materials and the wooden houses of the era, eventually consuming one-third of the city of Colón. The result: 430 buildings across 22 city blocks, with losses estimated at 3 million dollars. The human toll was enormous: 5 deaths, 20 injured, and approximately 7,500 people left homeless.

The Panama Railroad supported firefighting efforts by bringing firefighters from Panama City on special trips. In the following days, the railroad made several of its freight cars available as temporary shelters for those affected, and temporary tracks were laid along Bolívar Avenue to use trains for cleanup operations.

This demonstrated the critical importance of the Panama Railroad not only for transportation but also for emergency and disaster response.