2 months in 1889

In a matter of 2 months in 1889 Washington State experienced 3 major fire that changed the face of Spokane, Ellensburg, and Seattle.

On June 6, 1889, around 245pm in Seattle a man (John E. Back) accidentally started a fire in a building at the southwest corner of Madison & Front (renamed 1st Ave). The reports indicate that a pot of glue erupted in fire. By prompting new development and construction, this fire, known as the Great Seattle Fire, ironically transformed Seattle from a town to a city. By morning, the fire burned 29 square blocks of wooden buildings and about 10 brick buildings, including almost all of the business district, all but 4 of the city’s wharves, & its railroad terminals. The area covered by the fire extended over 64 acres. In a miracle no one died, but it was rumored that a million rats were killed in the fire. The fire began in Clairmont & Company cabinet shop, located in the basement of the wooden Pontius building at 922 Front Street at the southwest corner of the intersection with Madison St. In under a year the city population jumped from 25,000 to 43,000.

The evening of July 4, 1889, a devastating fire swept through the town of Ellensburg, destroying approximately 200 Victorian-era homes & leveling 10 business blocks. The fire began about 10:30 p.m. in a grocery store & spread to frame buildings nearby. Despite efforts by townspeople to fight the fire using the town’s limited mid-summer water supply, the morning of July 5 saw Ellensburg in ruins. The Ellensburg National Bank and the City Hotel survived the blaze. A tent city sprang up & like many towns destroyed by fire, the town quickly rebuilt using less flammable materials. I have no information on injuries during this blaze.

On Sunday, August 4, 1889, a fire destroyed most of downtown Spokane Falls. It began in an area of flimsy wooden structures & quickly spread. Property losses were huge, & 1 death was reported. The fire began shortly after 6PM. The most believable account of its origin is that it started at Wolfe’s lunchroom. Water pressure issues & the main operator of the water control system was away & unavailable. Firefighters fought desperately to control the fire but were unable & had to begin dynamiting buildings trying to deprive the fire of fuel, but flames jumped the open spaces & created a firestorm. In a matter of a few hours the Great Spokane Fire destroyed 32 square blocks, virtually the entire downtown. There were reports of many injuries & property damages of $5-10 million were reported. After the fire, as with all major events like this city officials banned wooden structures in or near the new downtown area, installed an electric fire alarm system, & established a paid fire department, with modern horse-drawn equipment.

The sad fact of the historic fires such as these 3 is that, in any city, your mine or wherever, a major incident, with huge loss of life & property has to happen before most governments will make positive changes & hire more firefighters.

Photos & more information on this post can be found on this website.