City of Vancouver Archives, LGN 455. Photo J.A. Brock and Harry T. Devin
1886
The Great Fire
A lone tent sits on a burned-out wasteland following the Great Fire of 1886. It was on June 13th that the furious fire destroyed Vancouver in less than one hour. It was caused after flames from a brush-clearing fire blew onto dry brush just west of the city. About 1,000 wooden buildings—virtually the entire city—were totally destroyed. The heat was so ferocious that the bell of St. James Anglican Church was turned to a molten lump of metal once the church itself ignited. The melted bell can be seen today at the Vancouver Museum.
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