Great Boston Fire of 1872

E290359

The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was a devastating urban conflagration that destroyed a large portion of Boston’s downtown business district and prompted major changes in the city’s building codes and fire safety practices.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Great Boston Fire of 1872 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf conflagration ⓘ
disaster ⓘ
urban fire ⓘ
affectedArea Boston commercial district ⓘ
linked to: Downtown Boston

Boston financial district ⓘ
linked to: Downtown Boston
aftermath debates over fireproof construction ⓘ
large-scale rebuilding of downtown Boston ⓘ
modernization of Boston’s street layout in affected area ⓘ
areaDestroyed approximately 65 acres ⓘ
buildingsDestroyed approximately 770 ⓘ
casualties about 30 people killed ⓘ
cause likely accidental ⓘ
comparedWith Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ⓘ
contributingFactor high winds ⓘ
inadequate water pressure ⓘ
insufficient fire-fighting infrastructure ⓘ
narrow streets ⓘ
overcrowded wooden buildings ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
deathToll approximately 30 ⓘ
documentedIn Boston city records ⓘ
contemporary newspapers ⓘ
historical studies of Boston ⓘ
economicLoss approximately 73 million US dollars (1872) in property damage ⓘ
one of the costliest urban fires in 19th-century United States ⓘ
endDate 1872-11-10 ⓘ
firefightingResponse involved mutual aid from surrounding communities ⓘ
involved use of steam fire engines ⓘ
hasLanguageOfPrimarySources English ⓘ
historicalPeriod 19th century ⓘ
involvedOrganization Boston Fire Department ⓘ
ledTo changes in insurance practices ⓘ
improvements in water supply and hydrant systems in Boston ⓘ
reform of Boston building codes ⓘ
reorganization of Boston Fire Department ⓘ
stricter fire safety regulations in Boston ⓘ
wider use of fire-resistant building materials in Boston ⓘ
locatedIn Boston ⓘ
Boston downtown business district ⓘ
Massachusetts ⓘ
notableFor destruction of a major American commercial center ⓘ
influence on urban planning and fire codes ⓘ
partOf history of Boston ⓘ
history of urban fires in the United States ⓘ
pointOfOrigin Summer Street ⓘ
basement of a commercial warehouse ⓘ
precededBy Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ⓘ
startDate 1872-11-09 ⓘ
timePeriod Reconstruction era United States ⓘ
linked to: Reconstruction era

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Great Fire of Portland 1866 → relatedEvent → Great Boston Fire of 1872 ⓘ