Great Vancouver Fire

About

The Great Vancouver Fire destroyed most of the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on June 13, 1886. It started as two land-clearing fires to the west of the city. The first fire was farther away from the city and was clearing land for the roundhouse of the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The second fire was clearing land to extend the city to the west. The Great Fire occurred shortly after the township of Granville had been incorporated into the City of Vancouver in April 1886.

The fires spread northeast into the city, killing at least 21 people and destroying 600 to 1,000 buildings (the exact numbers are unknown). Most residents escaped by fleeing to the Burrard Inlet shore or the False Creek shore. Following the recovery efforts, the city of Vancouver continued to grow. The city's first police force was set up, its first brick buildings were built, and its first fire engine was brought in from the nearby larger town of New Westminster.