Great Boston Fire of 1711

[3] Given the ever-present danger of fire, colonial and town authorities repeatedly enacted measures in an attempt to mitigate future major outbreaks.

In 1679 the General Court passed its first building regulation by mandating that any new dwelling in the town be of stone or brick and covered with slate or tile, unless the builder received an exemption by the selectmen to use other materials.

[4] Despite these provisions, however, wooden buildings remained predominant well into the eighteenth century;[5] as late as 1722, for example, a survey found that approximately two-thirds of Boston's nearly 3,000 houses were made of timber.

A Scottish woman named Mary Morse was handling oakum when it was ignited by a nearby flame, and the burning material quickly became uncontrollable.

A group of sailors had ascended to the steeple of the old meeting house in an attempt to save its bell, but the fire cut off their escape path and they fell in when the roof collapsed; their remains were later recovered from the debris.

Many more were killed from venturing too far into the fire or from the use of gunpowder to blow up homes in order to create firebreaks, and "strangers belonging to the vessels" were also believed to have added to the number perished.

The wards were to be given authority to command firefighting efforts and require assistance as necessary, and were also empowered to demolish houses if so directed by the chief civil or military officers of the town.

As a badge of office, they were to be given a staff, "five feet in length coulered [sic] red, and headed with a bright bass spire of six inches long.