Great Fires of San Francisco
The recent conflagration in San Francisco was the seventh of those that have been rated as "great fires." Each was so reckoned at the time of its occurrence. In December, 1849, about fifty houses in the business center were destroyed, with an estimated loss of a million dollars. This was a heavy loss considering the size of the town. The second "great fire" occurred in May, 1850. Three hundred houses were destroyed, entailing a loss of three and a half million dollars. The third fire occurred in June of the same year, when property in the business portion of the city was burned to the extent of four million dollars. The fourth "great fire" came in September following. More ground was covered, but the houses being of a cheaper order, the financial loss was not so heavy. The fifth in the list destroyed most of the business part of the city, involving a loss estimated at twelve million dollars. It occurred in May, 1851, and brick, stone, and iron buildings deemed fire-proof were swept before the flames. Shipping was saved by cutting away the wharves. Many lives (the number never was definitely known) were lost in this catastrophe. The sixth great fire came in the latter part of June, the same year, and destroyed about five hundred wooden structures, mostly one-story. The property loss was placed at three million dollars. It will be seen by this statement that the Queen City of the West had a long respite (nearly fifty-five years) from extensive fires.