The Atlanta fire ravaged the northeastern section of Atlanta in 1917. It started in a warehouse near Grady Hospital and spread rapidly to black neighborhoods in Buttermilk Bottom (near today's Civic Center). The predominance of wooden structures and a strong southern wind fed the flames. Horses pulled most of the fire engines; fire-fighting equipment was relatively primitive. By the time the fire was extinguished, it had consumed nearly 3,400 buildings and rendered 10,000 people homeless.