1679. _Boston_. All the warehouses, 80 dwellings, and the vessels in
the dockyards were consumed. Loss, L200,000.
1760. " A fire caused a loss estimated at L100,000.
1787. " A fire consumed 100 buildings, February 20.
1794. " 96 buildings were burned. Loss, L42,000.
1872. " Great fire, November 9-10. By this fire the richest
quarter of Boston was destroyed.
The fire commenced at the corner of Summer and Kingston
streets. The area burned over was 65 acres. 776 buildings,
comprising the largest granite and brick warehouses of the
city, filled with merchandise, were burned. The loss was about
L15,000,000. Before the end of the year 1876 the burned
district had been rebuilt more substantially than ever.
1778. _Charleston_ (S.C.). A fire caused the loss of L100,000.
1796. " 300 houses were burned.
1838. " One-half the city was burned on April 27. 1158
buildings destroyed. Loss, L600,000.
1802. _Portsmouth_ (N.H.), 102 buildings destroyed.
1813. " 397 buildings destroyed.
1820. _Savannah_, 463 buildings were burned. Loss, L800,000.
1835. _New York_. The great fire of New York began in Merchant
Street, December 16, and burned 530 buildings in
the business part of the city. 1000 mercantile
firms lost their places of business. The area
burned over was 52 acres. The loss was L3,000,000.
1845. " A fire in the business part of the city, July 20,
destroyed 300 buildings. The loss was L1,500,000.
35 persons were killed.
1845. _Pittsburg_. A large part of the city burned, April 11. 20
squares, 1100 buildings destroyed. Loss, L2,000,000.
1846. _Nantucket_ was almost destroyed.
1848. _Albany_. 600 houses burned, August 17. Area burned over 37
acres, one-third of the city. Loss, L600,000.
1849. _St Louis_. 23 steamboats at the wharves, and the whole or part
of 15 blocks of the city burned, May 17. Loss,
L600,000.
1851. " More than three-quarters of the city was burned,
May 4. 2500 buildings. Loss, L2,200,000.
1851. " 500 buildings burned. Loss, L600,000.
1850. _Philadelphia_. 400 buildings burned, July 9. 30 lives lost.
Loss, L200,000.
1865. " 50 buildings burned, February 8. 20 persons
killed. Loss, L100,000.
1851. _Washington_. Part of the Capitol and the whole of the
Congressional Library were burned.
1851. _San Francisco_. On May 4-5 a fire destroyed 2500 buildings.
A number of lives lost. More than three-fourths of the city
destroyed. Loss, upwards of L2,000,000. In June another fire
burned 500 buildings. Loss estimated at L600,000.
1857. _Chicago_. A fire destroyed over L100,000. 14 lives lost.
1859. " Property destroyed worth L100,000, Sept. 15.
1866. " Two fires on August 10 and November 18. Loss,
L100,000 each.
1871. " The greatest fire of modern times.
It began in a barn on the night of the 8th of October and
raged until the 10th. The area burned over was 2124 acres, or
3-1/3 sq. m., of the very heart of the city. 250 lives were
lost, 98,500 persons were made homeless, and 17,430 buildings
were consumed. The buildings were one-third in number and
one-half in value of the buildings of the city. Before the
end of 1875 the whole burned district had been rebuilt. The
loss was estimated at L39,000,000.
1862. _Troy_ (N.Y.) was nearly destroyed by fire.
1866. _Portland_ (Maine). Great fire on July 4. One-half of the city
was burned; 200 acres were ravaged; 50 buildings were blown
up to stop the progress of the fire. Loss, L2,000,000 to
L2,250,000.
1871. October. Forest and prairie fires in Wisconsin and Michigan.
15,000 persons were made homeless; 1000 lives lost. Loss
estimated at L600,000.