Great Boston Fire of 1872
[1] The fire was finally contained 12 hours later, after it had consumed about 65 acres (26 ha) of Boston's downtown, 776 buildings and much of the financial district, and caused $73.5 million in damage (equivalent to $1.7 billion in 2023).
Also, the fire hydrant couplings were not standardized within Boston, making it more difficult for firefighters to connect their hoses and related equipment.
[9] At the time of the 1872 fire in early November, the northeast United States was experiencing an epizootic equine flu that affected and weakened the horses.
[9][10] When Damrell heard of the horse sickness he preemptively hired an additional 500 men to replace the horsepower that would typically haul the engines and other equipment to the sites of fires.
General Phil Sheridan, in charge of military relief in Chicago post-fire, did not condemn the city's use of gunpowder to blow up buildings to create firebreaks.
In theory, a firebreak creates a gap in flammable material that serves as a barrier where the fire will run out of "fuel" to spread any further.
However, many fire chiefs from Southern cities were firmly opposed to gunpowder-created firebreaks after having seen the destruction they caused in the Civil War.
[12] Damrell returned to Boston and continued to request funding for improved water infrastructure and fire equipment.
From the basement, the flames spread to the wooden elevator shaft in the center of the building and moved up the floors, fueled by the flammable fabrics in storage.
As building owners raced to retrieve valuables from their burning properties, looters ran in after them to collect whatever was left behind.
[1] Mayor Gaston approved the creation of firebreaks and groups of citizens began packing buildings with gunpowder kegs.
Along Washington Street, wet blankets and rugs were said to have been used to cover buildings to prevent the fire from spreading to the Old South Meeting House, the church in which the Boston Tea Party was planned.
[8] The efforts to save this historic landmark finally halted the fire at the corner of Washington and Milk Streets, around midday on November 10.
"[17] Following the fire, a citizen-formed committee urged Boston to restructure the layout of roadways in the damaged areas.
The restructuring allotted space to establish Post Office Square at the intersection of Milk, Congress, Pearl, and Water Streets.
[2] In the rebuilding that followed the fire, land values of the "burnt district" increased, according to a study in American Economic Review in 2017.
John Damrell resigned from his position as chief engineer in 1874 in the wake of the Fire Commission's investigation.
[8] While Damrell served as president of NAFE, the association published a list of eight fire safety concerns in building construction.
[14] At the 20th Annual Convention of NAFE in 1892, Damrell is credited for Boston's formally established limits of building height and area.
[23] In 1891, The National Association of Commissioners and Inspectors of Public Buildings (NACIPB) was established by Damrell, and he served as the first president.
[25] At the corner of Kingston and Summer Streets, a plaque was installed by The Bostonian Society to mark the start of the fire.
[citation needed] Author Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. watched the fire from his home on Beacon Hill.
