Daytona Beach ‘s Museum of Arts and Sciences’ Curator of History, Zach Zaharias, presents a rare look at a part of Florida history that most people have never heard of, urban fires. The Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901 was the nation’s third-largest urban fire in history. Ocala, Deland, St. Augustine, Key West, and other well-known cities all were devastated by urban fires in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Downtowns made of wood, which predominated most of Florida’s Cities, presented a common problem, the threat of massive fires. The presentation’s finale is the “Great Fire Storm of 1994”.

Zach is a Florida Native born and raised in Miami, Florida and holds degrees from Florida State University in Communications, University of Central Florida in American History and a Masters in Education from Nova South Eastern University. Zach has been with the Museum of Arts and Sciences for 26 years and is the current Senior Curator of Education and Curator of History with a specialty in Florida history, art and paleontology.

This event is funded by the Florida Humanities Florida Talks: At Home! program in partnership with the Ormond Beach Historical Society.