Great Fire of Saint John

The Great Fire of Saint John was an urban fire that devastated much of Saint John, New Brunswick in June 1877, destroying two-fifths of the city.[4]

Great Fire of Saint John
The Great Fire at St. John, N.B. June 20th, 1877
LocationSaint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Statistics[1]
Cost$27 million
($749 million in 2021 dollars)
Date(s)June 20, 1877
2:30 p.m. (lasted ~9 hours)
CauseLoose sparks
Buildings destroyed1,612 homes
Deaths18-19[2][3]
Painting of the fire's aftermath. Aftermath of Fire at Saint John, N.B., 1877R. Silroy, Oil on canvas, 56.5 x 78 cm

Fire

At 2:30 on the afternoon of June 20, 1877, a spark fell in Henry Fairweather's storehouse in the York Point Slip area. Nine hours later the fire had destroyed over 80 hectares (200 acres) and 1,612 structures including eight churches, six banks, fourteen hotels, eleven schooners and four wood boats. The fire had killed approximately 19 people, and injured many more.[3] Approximately 13,000 people were left homeless as a result of the fire.[1]

No photographs exist of the fire. However, some survivors' accounts of the blaze tell that the fire came so close to the harbour that it looked like the water was on fire.[3]

Aftermath and legacy

Saint John's Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area was built out of the ashes of the fire.[5]

See also

References
  1. Stewart, George (1877). The story of the great fire in St. John, N.B : June 20th, 1877. Toronto: Belford Bros. ISBN 0665139756.
  2. Shorter, G. W. "The Saint John fire of 20 June 1877". National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research.
  3. "The Great Fire of Saint John, New Brunswick, 9528". Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  4. COLLINS, DONALD (June 20, 2002). "Weary city resurfaces from ashes: In the weeks and months following the Great Fire of 1877, Saint John people and businesses persevered". newbrunswick.net. Telegraph-Journal (New Brunswick). Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. "trinityroyal.com". www.trinityroyal.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.

45.259°N 66.070°W / 45.259; -66.070

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