The Great Saint John Fire

In this episode, Mark Greene shared the inspiration behind his book The Great Saint John Fire of 1877, which began with his childhood fascination with the event. He explained that Saint John was a significant port city, founded by Loyalists in 1783, and had grown to become the third-largest city in Canada by the mid-1800s. Despite being prone to fires due to its rapid construction and lack of fire prevention, the city was rebuilt each time after the 13 previous major fires, continuing to ignore practices that were needed for fire prevention.

The fire of 1877 was a catastrophic event that destroyed much of the city's wooden infrastructure and left 14,000 homeless. The fire, which started in a warehouse district, was exacerbated by a deflation explosion and spread quickly due to strong winds. The city's lack of building codes and fire prevention measures at the time were cited as contributing factors. In the aftermath of the fire, the city rebuilt under new building codes, prioritizing fire prevention and resulting in a more resilient and rebuilt city. Despite its significance, the Great Saint John Fire is not as widely known as other urban fires of the era.

You can purchase the book The Great Saint John Fire of 1877 by Mark Allan Greene from your local bookseller, or wherever books are sold.