Saturday, October 7, 2023

Fire In The History Of The City

 The Great Fire of 1900 was the biggest fire to ever hit the area, destroying much of downtown Hull before jumping the river into Ottawa and being brought to a halt at the Lebreton Flats. Another fire three years later would see the beginning of the end of the lumber era, as lumber mills were subjected to limits on the size of their timber piles.


Academic Hall at the University of Ottawa was the scene of another fire.


Russell House, once a grand hotel in the downtown, was caught up in fire in 1928. 


Items from the Great Fire and the burning of St. John's, a Lowertown church, are found here.


The church was destroyed by fire in 1912.


The old Central Post Office went on fire in 1904. 


The legacy of fire in the city looms large. I leave off with this photograph today of the Great Fire.

44 comments:

  1. It is so sad seeing the fires. In the past or present. We have to learn some lessons.

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  2. It is sad to see and hear about damage done be the fires. Take care, have a happy weekend.

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  3. Your new header is spectacular showing the early signs of fall.

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  4. ...sadly fires have played a role in the history of many cities.

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  5. That is a great new header, William.

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  6. I can't think of a similar fire in my area. My dad was a firefighter for 25 years so he did see a lot.

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  7. Oh my this was something, and the detail and photos are very interesting, thank you for sharing this.

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  8. Interesting history. Big fires like that were part of the era it seems.

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  9. Sad to have been destroyed by a fire, it is always a drama to see.

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  10. It always makes me sad to hear of great fires -- the loss of life and of beautiful architecture.

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  11. We had some great big fires in the city I grew up in. The were old factory buildings that were still being used. The fire burned down block.

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  12. More and more fires these days. That's something scary to think about.

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  13. Oh yes, fire, so necessary but so unpredictable

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  14. Honolulu had two great Chinatown fires around this time. Fascinating history. Thank you, William

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  15. Fire is so devasting, great post.

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  16. Fire is no stranger in our part of the world with or without wood piles to fuel them. There is a Museum of Fire near us but not being a museum buff like you I have not visited it.

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  17. Fire photos are awesome though sad ~ great exhibit ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  18. A very interesting exhibit and what an awful fire. Fire can be mesmerizing and comforting when it's in the fireplace, but horrifying in this situation.

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  19. we love seeing old buildings but it is really hard to see them gone ...wish other folks would love keeping them up and just having them age nicely, etc. a lot of the times tearing them down is such a waste. history is great. keep it alive. have a nice week. ( ;

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