Kerosene and a Wind: Bossburg's Business Block Burned to the Ground
An arsonist's midnight fire wiped out nearly the whole business section of Bossburg, leaving only a hardware store and one small shop across the tracks — some $60,000 lost.
At midnight Monday night fire broke out in the rear of the Palmer Trading Co.'s store at Bossburg, on the west side of the county, and, fanned by a strong wind, virtually wiped out the business section, leaving only the hardware store and a small store on the opposite side of the railroad track.
That the fire was of incendiary origin is well established, but there is no direct clue to the perpetrator. That kerosene was used in large quantities is evident, and that the intent of the incendiary was the total destruction of the town is shown in the manner in which the fire started and the method employed. Total loss is nearly $60,000.
“That the intent of the incendiary was the total destruction of the town is shown in the manner in which the fire started and the method employed.”
Bossburg, a railroad town on the west side of Stevens County, never fully recovered from this midnight blaze; today it is little more than a name on the map. The fire is a reminder of how thin the margin was for Washington's small timber-and-rail towns — one can of kerosene could erase a business district overnight.
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