麻豆传媒映画

Each week we鈥檒l uncover some聽unusual and (hopefully) interesting facts about聽the city. This week we take on聽the Great Fire, which destroyed most of 麻豆传媒映画on June 13, 1886.

1. The Great Fire destroyed the city in a matter of minutes

City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives. Sketch by J.S. Matthews, Archivist Vancouver.

Historical reports suggest the fire swept through the city within 25 鈥� 45 minutes. Most of the newly incorporated city of 麻豆传媒映画(which was predominantly situated in present day Gastown), was completely destroyed by what started as a brush-clearing fire between present-day Main and Cambie St. Strong winds blew the flames into dry brush, resulting in a swift and devastating city-wide fire.

2. Practically everything was destroyed

City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives, LGN 455. Photo J.A. Brock and Harry T. Devin

Approximately 1,000 wooden buildings, (essentially the entire city) were ravaged by the fire.聽Some of the only buildings to survive were the Hastings Mill, a stone building in the West End and a few buildings near False Creek. The city persevered and buildings began to be rebuilt聽within聽a matter of days.

3. The Daily News printed a gruesome account of the fire

麻豆传媒映画Sun / 00032295A (Nick Procaylo/PNG) [PNG Merlin Archive].

Despite most of the city鈥檚 newspaper offices being destroyed, the Daily News managed to go to print only days after the fire. On June 17 1886, the paper reported on the fire and identified the known victims, reporting, 鈥淭he total number of victims and their identity will probably NEVER BE KNOWN. With the exception of Mrs. Nash and Mr. Craswell, the bodies recovered were all burned to crisp and barely recognizable as human remains.鈥�

4. Survivors took to the water

City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives: AM54-S4-: Out P204.

Many people聽managed to survive by getting on boats or simply jumping straight into the Burrard Inlet. The Squamish Nation used their canoes to聽paddle from the North Shore and聽rescue the citizens聽who were stuck floating in the water.

5. The city was not prepared聽

Photo of the surviving members of the 1886 麻豆传媒映画Fire Department in 1936. City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives: CVA 76-11.

Equipped with only shovels, buckets and axes, the city鈥檚 firefighters tried desperately to tame the flames, but could not subdue the fire鈥檚 extreme force. Flames grew so hot that they actually melted the bell of the St. James Anglican Church. The melted bell can be seen today at the . A fundraising initiative raised enough money for the city to purchase its first fire engine on July 30, 1886.

Read more from our "5 Things You Didn't Know" series聽.