On Friday night we told you about the Albert and Prince Street fire of June
1997 – and showed how it was considerably worse than the most recent downtown
blaze, which was the Ro-Mac’s fire on March 26th. And while that gave
some context, we got much more from a viewer with a keen sense for history.
He pointed out that the largest recorded fire to have affected the city’s
southside was the great fire of March 1863. Talk about a blockburner? That was
a city burner!
Records show that it began between Prince and King Streets and destroyed 500
houses, killing 2 people and leaving 2000 homeless. It was suspected to have
been a case of arson, but that was never sufficiently established.
Just 7 years earlier in 1856, a man had been hanged for causing the fire that
destroyed most of the city’s north side.
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