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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 37 |
| 1877 | 31 |
| 1878 | 23 |
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1882 | 12 |
| 1883 | 41 |
| 1884 | 23 |
| 1885 | 56 |
| 1886 | 33 |
| 1887 | 26 |
| 1888 | 31 |
| 1889 | 185 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 42 |
| 1892 | 157 |
| 1893 | 166 |
| 1894 | 140 |
| 1895 | 134 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 39 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 10 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 3 |
1,227 stories matching fire
- The 1891 Building Laws That Shaped Seattle
A deep dive into the rigid safety mandates—from fire-proof walls to mandatory fire escapes—that dictated the construction of Seattle’s early downtown.
- The Waterfront Fire That Nearly Leveled Seattle
A dangerous cargo of dynamite on the schooner Idaho risked total catastrophe after a kerosene fire broke out at the Ocean Dock.
- Fire Commissioner Accused of Drunkenness and Selling His Vote
Mayor Phelps files formal charges against George T. Masel, alleging he sold his vote for chief, kept the chief in fear, and attended a West Seattle fire drunk.
- The Mystery of the Smalley House Fires
A suspicious string of blazes on Queen Anne Hill has residents calling for a new fire station.
- After the Fire: Rebuilding a Mill
O.W. Stetson discusses the cyclical reality of sawmill fires in early Seattle and the persistent struggle for fire safety in the local timber industry.
- Suspicion of Arson After Slaughter House Fire
An early morning fire on the Beach road leaves a local meat business in ruins, with the owner offering a bounty for the arsonist.
- The Test of the Chemical Fire Extinguisher
A skeptical crowd gathers at Second and Marion to watch a new, pressurized fire-fighting contraption in action.
- A Close Call on Yesler Avenue
A fire sparked by a porter's clumsy accident in a saloon basement is extinguished by a quick-thinking fire commissioner before it could threaten the neighborhood.
- The Tinderbox City: How Unprotected Seattle Lived in Fear of Fire
While the downtown core grew rapidly, many residential districts remained dangerously isolated from fire protection, leaving property owners in a literal state of vulnerability.
- The Mayor Moves Against the Fire Commissioner
Mayor Phelps suspends Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, files five counts of incompetence and meddling with the chief, and calls a special session to hear them.
- The City's June Fire Toll
From false alarms to tragedy, the Seattle Fire Department details a month of small blazes.
- The Great Timber Fires of 1887
As drought conditions persist, devastating fires tear through the logging camps and timberlands near Seattle.
- The Great Fire’s Buried Treasure
A sewer crew working on Front Street unearths a long-lost safe, a fire-eaten relic from the ashes of Seattle’s 1889 catastrophe.
- The Ballard Kilns Go Up in Smoke
A fire in the Stimson Mill dry house threatened $150,000 in lumber and shingles before Seattle and Ballard crews brought it under control.
- After the Fire, A New Blueprint for Seattle
When the flames destroyed the commercial district, city leaders fought to enforce strict building codes to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
- Bribery Allegations Rock the Fire Commission
A city fire commissioner reveals he was offered a $300 bribe to influence a lucrative hose contract, as rival companies trade accusations of fraud.
- A Bad Day at the Ballard Shingle Mill
A fire in Ed A. Auld's shingle mill is stopped by a neighboring company's apparatus, then two workers are maimed in separate accidents.
- The Case for a City Fire Marshal
Seattle's Board of Underwriters pushes for a dedicated official to investigate suspicious fires and enforce building safety in the wake of mounting insurance concerns.
- The Great Seattle Rebuild: Rethinking Fire Safety After the Ashes
In the wake of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, experts and local leaders scramble to replace wooden tinderboxes with new, fireproof standards and modern building codes.
- The Fire Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps files official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, alleging incompetence and corruption regarding the purchase of defective fire equipment.
- The Great Fire on Washington Street: A Narrow Escape from Ashes
A blaze in the upper story of a building near Pike Street threatened to consume Seattle’s growing commercial district, but the quick arrival of the fire engine saved the day.
- Serial Arson at the Western Mill
A night watchman thwarts an attempt to burn down a Lake Union mill, marking the third suspicious fire in a single week.
- Seattle's Great Fire Safety Debate
City officials clash over whether to invest in expensive new fire engines or build a radical new system of salt-water mains for the business district.
- The City's Water Problem: A Nuisance in the Making
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man's attempt to build a makeshift shelter leads to a messy public legal battle over fire hazards and sanitation.
- A Miraculous Escape for Seattle
A waterfront fire threatens to consume the business district, but the volunteer fire department saves the day.
Also about this, in other words
- The Underground Fire Beneath Jackson Street
Firemen battle a persistent blaze burning within the tide-flat ashes beneath the electric light works.
- A House on the Bluff: Fire Lights Up the City as the Engines Fail to Arrive
The lakeside home of E. J. Jeffries burns to the ground while the fire department is too far away to save it — a blaze visible for miles across Seattle.
- The Great Seattle Sawmill Fire
A spark from a passing train ignites a massive blaze in the Seattle lumber district, consuming millions of feet of lumber and threatening to incinerate the city's waterfront.
- The Smoke That Choked the Sound
As Seattle rebuilds from its Great Fire, a more insidious disaster—the annual torching of Washington’s vast forests—threatens the region’s economic future.
- Fireboat Battles Blazing Mill on the Tide Flats
McMaster's shingle mill, a sprawling wharf-side structure, is lost to a massive fire as the city's fireboat struggles to maneuver through a congested waterway.
- An Arson Plot Unearthed in a Rented Shack
A struggling family, searching for kindling in their attic, discovers a lethal trap set to torch their home.