Villa Rica Explosion - Villa Rica, GA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 33° 43.894 W 084° 55.181
16S E 692731 N 3734336
The pharmacy where it all happened.
Waymark Code: WM10Y1C
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2019
Views: 2
County of memorial: Carroll County
Location of memorial: W. Montgomery St., 2nd store front E. of Candler St., downtown Villa Rica
Marker Erected By: Georgia Historical Society, City of Villa Rica, and Villa Rcica Downtown Development Authority
Marker Erected: 2007
Memroail Mark Text:
Villa Rica Explosion
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Around 11:00 a.m. on December 5, 1957, a natural gs leak under Berry's Pharmacy caused an explosion that destroyed four buildings and damaged several others in Villa Rica's downtown. The explosion killed twelve and injured twenty. The tragedy highlighted the need for both an organized local emergency response unit and the use of odor in the natural gas supply. The civil defense unit that resulted became a model for west Georgia. Ensuing litigation placed a considerable financial burden on the city, suppressing economic development for years. In terms of injury and loss of life, the explosion remains the most catastrophic event in Carroll County history.