Great Fire of Saint John

The Great Fire of Saint John was an urban fire that devastated much of Saint John, New Brunswick in June 1877, destroying two-fifths of the city.

[4] On June 16, 1877, according to a schoolboy known only as "Harry", an elderly First Nations chief spoke to a number of boys, telling them to warn their parents to move away before Saint John is destroyed on June 19.

[5][6] At 2:30 on the afternoon of June 20, 1877, a spark fell in Henry Fairweather's storehouse in the York Point Slip area.

Nine hours later the fire had destroyed over 80 hectares (200 acres) and 1,612 structures including eight churches, six banks, fourteen hotels, eleven schooners and four wood boats.

[3] Saint John's Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area was built out of the ashes of the fire.