Great Boston Fire

The Great Boston Fire started on November 9, 1872, in a warehouse on Summer Street.  The fire extended from the Boston Common to the waterfront.  Boston's largest urban fire, and remains as one of the most costly property losses in American history.  Raging across the heart of downtown Boston, the fire was finally contained after twelve hours.  Fire companies from across New England arrived carrying manpower and pumpers.  The single most instrumental piece of arsenal used to contain the blaze was the nation’s first self-propelled steamer from Manchester, NH.  Significant factors which contributed to the fire were: unenforced Boston building regulations, numerous commercial wooden structures several with oil soaked wooden floors and much of the affected neighborhood had old water pipes with very low pressure.  Rubble from the burnout neighborhoods was dumped in the harbor to build the present day Atlantic Avenue and expand the city southward.