The Bear That Burned Down the Neighborhood
A Spokane resident’s attempt to treat a sick horse with home remedies went up in flames when his pet bear caused a catastrophe.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Two dwellings and a workshop belonging to W. J. Roundtree on the flat below town were burned this morning. Roundtree's pet bear started the fire. The bear was chained in the shop and about 5 a.m., Roundtree went into the shop to get some medicine for a sick horse. He left a lamp standing on a bench and went out to get some water. In his absence, Bruin stretched out his paw and got hold of the lamp. When Roundtree returned, the floor was covered with blazing oil, and the bear was snapping at it, trying to put the fire out. Roundtree got the bear out, badly singed. The shop was consumed, and the fire spread to Roundtree's residence and the residence of George Circle. Both houses were destroyed, but the furniture was saved. The loss was about $1,500, with no insurance.
“In his absence, Bruin stretched out his paw and got hold of the lamp.”
Spokane has long since moved past the era of keeping pet bears in workshops, but the vulnerability of wooden housing to fire—and the lack of insurance—remains a stark reminder of early frontier infrastructure. It’s a classic 'strange but true' story that highlights the casual, dangerous proximity of wild animals and human habitation in 1893.
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