The Day Ellensburg Burned
A devastating fire leaves 12 city blocks in ruins, highlighting the catastrophic failure of the local water system.
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.
When the alarm of fire sounded on the air, a ball of Pythian Hall was in vogue in the third story of the Ashler Hotel. About 300 people were in the building. The hotel was soon a mass of flame. The water supply was totally inadequate and another was turned on from the hydrants, only to prove the city waterworks were useless in an emergency and could not be depended on. The fire spread rapidly, despite the heroic efforts of the volunteer fire department, until the whole building was a mass of seething flames. A heavy northwest gale helped to fan them into a party of hollow. In an incredibly short space of time, they had eaten upon the merchant furniture store, gutting it completely. The fire then threatened the wooden frame of the hotel, which soon ignited. The fire had now crossed over to the south side of Pine street, between Main and Third, and the wooden buildings in those blocks burned like tinder. Nearly every available man was with the fire boys, who were manfully doing their best to save the town. When the bank building ignited, it was seen that the entire business portion of the town was doomed. By the time the fire died out, twelve solid blocks of lumber, brick and stone buildings in the heart of the business quarter were a glowing mass of coals and embers. Not a timber was left in the burnt district. The total loss is estimated at $2,000,000, including goods and personal effects.
“The water supply was totally inadequate and another was turned on from the hydrants, only to prove the city waterworks were useless in an emergency and could not be depended on.”
The 1889 Ellensburg fire, which destroyed nearly the entire business district, serves as a stark reminder of how infrastructure failures—in this case, an inadequate water system—can turn a manageable emergency into a city-wide catastrophe. Today, as Pacific Northwest cities contend with extreme weather events and wildfire risks, the story of the 'volunteer fire boys' and the city's resolve to rebuild resonates with our own ongoing efforts to harden urban infrastructure against climate disaster.
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