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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 20 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 9 |
63 stories matching flame
- A Domestic Worker's Near-Fatal Fire
While caring for a child, a domestic worker is severely burned when her clothing catches fire; a bystander saves her by rolling her in the mud of Front Street.
- The Galley Explosion on the Steamer Glide
A cook's dangerous attempt to spark a galley fire with coal oil leads to an explosion and a narrow escape from disaster on the Puget Sound.
- Inferno in the Olympics
Citizens gather on Church Hill in Port Angeles to watch a massive timber fire burning in the Olympic Mountains.
- Tragedy on the Tracks: A Night of Horror
A train derailment near Seattle leaves passengers trapped in the wreckage as a fire begins to spread through the cars.
- Tragedy in Fern City: Four Children Perish in Home Blaze
A mother’s brief errand ends in unimaginable loss when her home is consumed by flames, trapping her four young children inside.
- Narrow Escape in the Business District
A late-night fire is extinguished in a downtown shoe shop just before it could engulf the surrounding blocks.
- The Clock That Kept Time in the Ruins
When the Oriental Hotel burned, a single clock was found ticking away on a charred wall amidst the wreckage.
- The Fire That Starved a City: How a Burning Lime Ship Stalled Seattle’s Building Boom
When the steamer *Yquina* exploded in flames at Pacific Dock, it didn't just destroy $35,000 worth of cargo—it left 600 mechanics without work and halted the construction of a growing metropolis.
- The Rat in the Wardrobe
A lady’s attempt to light a dark closet leads to a terrifying, fire-starting encounter with a persistent rodent.
- The Day Seabeck Burned
When the Washington Mill Company caught fire in 1886, a small mill town was leveled in just two hours, leaving over 100 men without work and a local entrepreneur's life's work in ashes.
- The Final Voyage of the Wildwood
A steamship captain recounts the harrowing night his vessel burned to the water’s edge while docked at Olympia.
- The Great Dayton Fire: A Block of Ashes and a City’s Near Miss
On the night of April 2, 1882, flames consumed three blocks in downtown Dayton, Washington. While the town paid with its buildings, Seattle’s own fire department narrowly escaped disaster thanks to a single force pump.
- Tragedy at the Occidental Hotel
A pre-dawn fire at a downtown boarding house kills a resident and leaves others fighting for their lives in the smoke.
- Fire Ravages Port Townsend's 'Chinatown'
A morning fire levels several properties in the Chinese quarter, leaving the community to count their losses.
- The Great Burn of 1885: A Summer of Ash and Loss
While Seattle sweltered, the timberlands north of the city were consumed by an unprecedented wildfire season, leaving behind a trail of homelessness, tragedy, and destruction.
- Chinatown Destroyed by Suspicious Blaze in Tacoma
Twenty-five buildings consumed in a massive fire; arson suspected in the downtown quarter.
- Gas Line Explosion Destroys Home in Snohomish County
A tragic error during a pipe connection leaves three dead and others severely burned after a home is leveled.
- Fire Sweeps Through Opium Den and Saloon District
A negligent stove in a Washington Street opium den sparks a conflagration that consumes seven buildings in the heart of Seattle.
- A Miraculous Escape for Seattle
A waterfront fire threatens to consume the business district, but the volunteer fire department saves the day.
- Vigilante Mob Targets Coal Creek Chinese Miners
A masked party of men armed with firearms forced Chinese laborers from their homes, leaving their settlement in flames.
- Seattle's Water System Passes Its First Big Test
A morning fire reveals that recent upgrades to the city's hydrant system are already paying dividends for public safety.
- The Fiery End of the War Hawk
A visiting ship caught fire at Port Discovery, forcing the crew to scuttle the vessel to save her.
- A Kerosene Lamp Burns Olympia's Only Good Hotel to the Ground
An exploding lamp gutted the Carleton House on Monday evening, killing the capital city's chief lodging house and leaving the town almost without a place to put up travelers.
- Tragedy in the Woods Near Lone Prairie
A woman experiencing a mental health crisis locked her home and set it ablaze, killing herself and her four children.
- The Lakeside House Fire at Hot Springs
A devastating midnight blaze destroys the A. T. & S. F. Railway-owned hotel, marking the second such disaster at the site in less than two years.