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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 30 |
| 1877 | 29 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 11 |
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 42 |
| 1884 | 14 |
| 1885 | 33 |
| 1886 | 28 |
| 1887 | 22 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 77 |
| 1890 | 14 |
| 1891 | 38 |
| 1892 | 115 |
| 1893 | 121 |
| 1894 | 94 |
| 1895 | 109 |
| 1897 | 9 |
| 1898 | 17 |
| 1899 | 15 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 54 |
| 1904 | 36 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 22 |
| 1909 | 44 |
| 1910 | 11 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 10 |
| 1915 | 20 |
| 1916 | 25 |
| 1917 | 9 |
| 1918 | 5 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1924 | 13 |
| 1925 | 2 |
1,163 stories matching loss
- Walla Walla's Downtown Blaze
A cluster of local businesses burns to the ground, highlighting the risks of early timber-frame architecture.
- A $60,000 Fire Devastates Valley: Livery Stable Blaze Spreads Through Town
A wind-whipped fire that began in a livery stable destroyed a general store, a saloon, and a residence, leaving insurance far short of losses.
- Railroad Agent Disputes Spokane Fire Loss Estimates
A freight agent reports on the aftermath of the devastating Spokane fire, highlighting the community's resilience in the face of immense loss.
- The Insurance Crisis After the Great Fires
A look at the crushing financial toll of the catastrophic fires sweeping through Washington Territory in 1889.
- Winter’s Toll on the Yakima Range
Deep snow and poor grazing conditions lead to mass livestock casualties as ranchers report dire losses.
- Rising from the Ashes
How Snohomish views the devastating Great Seattle Fire and its own precarious growth.
- Flooded Out, Then Taxed: Assessor Asks Relief for the Calispel Farmers
High water wiped out the grain fields of the Calispel valley this spring. The county assessor says the survivors should not have to pay for land that gave them nothing.
- The Loss of a Landmark: Cyrus Walker’s Port Gamble Home
A catastrophic early-morning blaze consumes one of the finest residences in Port Gamble, resulting in a loss valued at over five thousand dollars.
- Cigarettes Ignite a Spokane Lumber Yard
A blaze in the Falls City Lumber Company yard leaves a homeowner and a company with thousands in losses.
- McNaught’s Wharf Collapses Into the Harbor
A collapse of a waterfront warehouse leaves a local fish merchant with a total loss as scavengers claim the debris.
- Early Morning Alarm at the Club Cafe
A quick-moving fire in the rear of the Kennewick Club causes minor damage to furnishings, highlighting the fragility of local businesses.
- Arson Suspected After Fire Devours the Ballard News
A 2 a.m. blaze destroyed a newspaper plant and several buildings in Ballard; the fire chief’s engine never made it through the roads.
- Yelm’s Business District Destroyed in Double Blaze
A catastrophic fire destroyed twenty buildings, leaving the local economy in ruins with losses exceeding $100,000.
- Fire Takes an Old Soldier's Every Saving at Beaver
A state representative's newly built Clallam County home, barn, livestock, and tools were destroyed in a fire — a $3,000 to $4,000 loss.
- The Depot Ticket Heist
A theft of transit tickets at the Yakima depot highlights the vulnerability of local agents to company policy.
- City Cleared of Liability for Loose Horses
A local judge rejects a claim for damages after a team of horses wanders off a city dock.
- In One Hour, Montesano Lost Its Mill and Its Lights
A Saturday-evening spark from a smokestack leveled the Stetson mill — and with it the city's electric light plant, which carried not a cent of insurance.
- Walla Walla's Year of Fire
The local fire department reports a record-breaking 104 alarms for the year, including three major blazes that leveled local businesses.
- Devastating Hailstorm Wipes Out Union Flat Crops
A severe localized hail storm destroys 200 acres of prime winter wheat, leaving a local farmer to contemplate quitting the business.
- The Final Voyage of the John Rosenfeld
The noble Maine-built ship is declared a total loss after running aground on a reef near Lummi Island.
- A Dead Calm and a Disabled Engine: The Columbia Goes Ashore
The steamship Columbia struck the mouth of Puget Sound on a quiet night, her machinery useless. Passengers and mail were saved; $200,000 in cargo was not.
- Tacoma’s Great Fires of 1903
A year-end audit of the city's fire department reveals a staggering $309,000 in property loss, largely driven by massive blazes at industrial warehouses and cereal mills.
- The Ship Eldorado is Lost
A valuable Seattle coal vessel runs aground near Port Angeles, signaling a likely total loss.
- Snohomish's Standard Mill Goes Up in Flames
A boiler-side fire consumes the Loggie Bros. mill and its lumber, threatening a town payroll already strained by strike.
- Fire Consumes Kiona's Commercial Heart
A blaze in Kiona leaves the town's primary store, hotel, and post office in ashes, with guests narrowly escaping the inferno.
Also about this, in other words
- The Grim Calculus of Tragedy
An 1888 editorial attempts to rank the world's most catastrophic events, reflecting the era's fixation on measuring the scale of human loss.