{"id":5237,"date":"2020-03-21T07:44:54","date_gmt":"2020-03-21T11:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=5237"},"modified":"2026-04-12T12:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T16:52:31","slug":"wilson-nascar-fire-1959","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wilson-nascar-fire-1959\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grandstand Burned&#8230; But The Race Continued, 1959"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This content was originally posted on the Legeros Fire Line Facebook page. Go there for more content and much more frequent postings.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>March 26, 2020<br \/>\n<strong>Photo error!<\/strong>. The previously included photos of a burning grandstand were\u00a0<strong>not<\/strong> from this incident, but an earlier speedway fire in Greensboro. The grandstand at their fairgrounds burned on May 1, 1955. We will re-post the pictures in a new blog posting, with information about that incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>March 21, 2010<br \/>\nSunday, March 29, 1959, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, in Wilson, NC. The annual Easter NASCAR race was about to begin. But then a fire was discovered smoldering beneath the stands.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes passed before the Wilson Fire Department received the alarm at 1:45 p.m. And by then it was too late. The 200-foot long, 39-year old wooden building was consumed by flames, though without any injuries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"text_exposed_show\">\n<p>Some 3,000 spectators were safely evacuated, with calm directions over the loudspeakers. Fire Chief T. R. Bissette had praise for the officials, but also condemned the fans for &#8220;monkeying with the fire for 20 minutes before reporting it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The blaze was only a temporary disruption. Noted the Rocky Mount Evening Telegram on March 30, &#8220;the race began as soon as the fire was brought under control.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These dramatic photos&#8211;two views plus closer-cropped sections&#8211;are from the Hose and Nozzle archives, courtesy of Troy FD. Original photographer(s) TBD.<\/p>\n<p>See also this racing site posting for information about the fire:\u00a0https:\/\/www.racing-reference.info\/showblog?id=3418 [link expired]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-animation=\"no-animation\" data-icons-animation=\"no-animation\" data-overlay=\"on\" data-change-size=\"\" data-button-size=\"0.7\" style=\"font-size:0.7em!important;display:none;\" class=\"supsystic-social-sharing supsystic-social-sharing-package-flat supsystic-social-sharing-content supsystic-social-sharing-content-align-left\" data-text=\"\"><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fwilson-nascar-fire-1959%2F\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u={url}\" data-nid=\"1\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"5237\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"The Grandstand Burned... 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The grandstand at their fairgrounds burned on May 1, &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wilson-nascar-fire-1959\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;The Grandstand Burned&#8230; But The Race Continued, 1959&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-animation=\"no-animation\" data-icons-animation=\"no-animation\" data-overlay=\"on\" data-change-size=\"\" data-button-size=\"0.7\" style=\"font-size:0.7em!important;display:none;\" class=\"supsystic-social-sharing supsystic-social-sharing-package-flat supsystic-social-sharing-content supsystic-social-sharing-content-align-left\" data-text=\"\"><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-8 counter-standard without-counter facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flegeros.com%2Fblog%2Fwilson-nascar-fire-1959%2F\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u={url}\" data-nid=\"1\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"5237\" data-url=\"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" data-description=\"The Grandstand Burned... 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