Boston fire of 1872

▪ United States history

      devastating fire that destroyed a large area in Boston's commercial district on Nov. 9–10, 1872. It ranks among the most destructive fires in American history.

      The fire originated about 7:00 PM in a six-story building on the corner of Kingston and Summer streets in Boston's business district. By the time the first alarm was sounded, the fire had already engulfed the building. As the fire spread from one rooftop to another, fire chief John Damrell called for reinforcements from the surrounding areas. The situation was exacerbated by several factors: the downtown consisted largely of tall wooden buildings that were full of flammable materials, the fire department was short staffed, the water supply was insufficient, and the city's horses were just beginning to recover from an influenza epidemic, forcing firefighters to pull the steam-powered fire engines themselves. Nevertheless, the firefighters worked steadily through the night to combat the blaze. They immediately ordered spare engine parts to prevent breakdown delays and redirected the city's water supply to the affected area. Against Damrell's orders, however, city officials blew up several buildings in an unsuccessful attempt to create a firebreak. The fire was finally contained by midday on November 10. More than 60 acres (25 hectares) of the commercial district had been destroyed, leaving 1,000 people homeless and another 20,000 without jobs. Businesses, newspaper offices, and churches were among the 776 buildings destroyed, and about 30 people had been killed.

      Boston learned from the disaster and quickly rebuilt a more spacious commercial district according to a new building code. In addition, the city approved increased funding to expand the fire department.

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