Fires don't usually destroy ovens--especially those over 100 years old that have weathered the test of time. The "Garland Stove" known as the world's largest stove, built for the World's Fair in Chicago, has been hit by lightning. The Michigan Fair landmark was part of the pre-automotive boom when five major stove-making companies helped Detroit be dubbed the "Stove Capital of the World".
Maybe stranger yet is the cause. It wasn't arson. Firefighters believe lightning sparked the August 13, 3011, fire which burned the oldest stove in what became a total loss. The world's largest stove was built by the Michigan Stove Company -- built for, and first displayed, at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. The stove wasn't light: In addition to being 25 feet high, the oak stove weighed 15 tons.
Had it stayed in storage, all might have been well. But in 1998, a dismantled version of the stove was pulled from storage -- reassembled at the fairgrounds along Woodward, near 8 mile. Two hours after fighting the blaze that was set through "natural causes," all was done. The world's largest stove is now gone.
Firefighters believe lightning could have hit and smoldered before taking down the massive monument. Sadder yet, no one was around to see the stove's smoldering finale: The Michigan State Fair shut down in 2009 due to state funding cuts.