1837 Surat fire

In April 1837, a fire broke out in the Indian city of Surat, then under British East India Company rule.

At 5 pm on 24 April, Monday, a jar of boiling pitch was spilt and some woodwork caught fire at a house of one of the leading Parsis in Machhalipith neighbourhood.

[3] The fire quickly spread to the densely packed neighbouring houses, which had timber frames and wooden eaves overhanging the narrow streets.

Within a few hours, the fire spread to an area of three miles (5 km) due to heavy wind from the north.

At night, the large masses of smoke lit by the fire were visible from a distance of twenty to thirty miles (30 to 50 km).