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Boston Fire Facts & Worksheets

Boston Fire

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Also known as the Great Boston Fire of 1872, it occurred on Saturday and Sunday, November 9 & 10, 1872. The fire destroyed 776 buildings across 65 acres of land, with the assessed value of the properties at nearly $13.5 million and personal property loss of $60 million dollars.

See the fact file below for more information on the Boston Fire or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Boston Fire worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BOSTON

  • Boston is the capital of Massachusetts in the northeastern United States.
  • Originally called Tremontaine, it was renamed Boston by English Puritans who settled in 1630. It was named after a town in England.
  • It is home to the first public park: Boston Common (1634), the first public school: Boston Latin (1635), the first college: the Harvard University (1636), the first public library (1653), the first newspaper: Boston News-Letter (1704), first State Constitution (1780), first commissioned Navy warship: The USS Constitution (1797), first subway: Metro Boston Transportation Authority (1897), among others.
  • It is also the place where great people contributed to society such as Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, etc.
  • Boston was one of America’s biggest industrial centers by the 1870s. Workers from Europe and elsewhere motivated Boston to broaden its services to cater to the developments. 
  • Streams and gorges were filled in and slopes evened out in the work to oblige future development.
  • Boston added the adjoining Roxbury municipality in 1868 and Dorchester became connected in 1870. Roslindale was attached in 1873 and Brighton and Charlestown turned out to be important for the city in 1874.
  • But the fire in 1872 destroyed much of Boston’s financial district, temporarily crippling the economy until years later.

THE GREAT BOSTON FIRE

  • Downtown Boston had gone through a fast advancement in the years later the Civil War, yet enhancements, particularly water mains, had not been upgraded during these years. 
  • The local group of firefighters at the time was facing epizootic, a sickness that impacted the horses pulling heavy fire apparatus.
  • The fire started in the basement of commercial warehouses at 83-87 Summer Street at 7:20 pm on Saturday, November 9, 1872.
  • The fire spread rapidly and generated a large amount of heat, resulting in a firestorm. Many of the buildings were made of bricks and stones, but the window frames and other fixtures were made of wood enabling the fire to reach nearby buildings. 
  • In the process of an unmanageable fire for more than 12 hours, the buildings were blown up with black gunpowder and a firebreak was created.
  • The first fire engine to arrive was Engine Co. from the 7 East Street station at around 7:24 pm. At 8 pm, all 21 Boston engine companies were fighting fires. 
  • Telegrams were sent to the surrounding towns for help, but the news was delayed because most telegraph stations were already closed for the night. Ultimately, support arrived from fire departments in most New England states.
  • During the fire, the narrow streets of Boston were crowded with firefighters and their equipment.
  • Business owners raced to retrieve valuables from their burning properties because looters chased them to collect what was left. 
  • Most of the affected areas were commercial so spectators came to see the spread of fire from the residential areas.
  • The fire was eventually purged at the corners of Washington and Milk Street as firefighters sought to save the Old South Meeting House on the opposite corner of Milk Street. 
  • A colonial fixture, the Old South is an important symbol of Boston’s heritage and effort has been made to preserve it.
  • Despite the magnitude of the fire, only two Boston firefighters were killed, with total deaths ranging from 13 to 20 depending on the source.
  • Fire Chief John Stanhope Damrel was highly criticized and blamed for much of the fire, even though he had already sought to improve the city’s fire safety infrastructure.
  • Later, he was replaced with a Board of Fire Commissioners. He also served as the commissioner of the Boston Building Department for the next years.

RECOVERING FROM THE DESTRUCTION

  • After the fire, a community committee called on Boston to redesign roads in the affected areas. Boston authorities approved the proposal, and many downtown streets became wider and straighter.
  • Rebuilding had become more costly but was eventually built to recover from the economic impact of the tragedy.
  • To prevent such destruction from happening again, former Chief Damrell established and founded the National Association of Fire Engineers (NAFE, currently the International Association of Fire Chiefs, IAFC).

INTERESTING FACT:

  • In 1851, Boston pioneered the world’s first telegraph fire alarm system, with red alarm boxes spread throughout the city that connected citizens to the nearest firehouse with the turn of a crank.
  • The association published the eight fire safety concerns in building construction, which are:
    • Building materials that are flammable and combustible 
    • Ineffective ground ladders due to excessive height of buildings.
    • Absence if not inaccessibility of fire escapes
    • Limited water supply in key areas
    • Space between buildings that can risk further fire spread
    • Corridors and open stairways need enough space for escape and access.
    • Effective fire alarms
    • Fire department

Boston Fire Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Boston Fire across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Boston Fire which occurred on Saturday and Sunday, November 9 & 10, 1872.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Boston Fire Facts
  • The Great Fire Summarized
  • Boston Fires
  • 1870s Boston
  • Heat Index
  • Today in History
  • Fire Prevention
  • Fire Safety
  • Life of a Fireman
  • Boston Today
  • The Power of Fire

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Link will appear as Boston Fire Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 19, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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