Much of downtown Vancouver burned to the ground on Aug. 23, 1866, just nine years after the city was incorporated. The fire ate through a crowded block of 12 wooden buildings between Main and Washington and bounded on the east and west by Third and Fourth streets. It broke out in J. Westall’s furniture store and rapidly devoured other businesses and residences.
The same block burned five years before in 1861. This time, according to the Vancouver Register, the source was an “imperfect flue.” Before retiring for the night, Westall set a fire inside the store in his sleeping room, when a “stray spark” wound its way through the gap, according to the newspaper. “It was known that (the) chimney had settled, leaving spaces between the brick and the mortar,” it added.
Flames warming Westall’s head awakened the sleeping man, who barely had time to flee. He left behind everything but the long johns he wore. He lost $2,200 in furniture, while the building’s owner, J.T. Bowels, lost his $1,000 building. Neighbor William Ranck’s residence and wagon shop at Main and Fourth flamed out, costing him $1,500. His fire jumped to the Durgan building, which contained a butcher shop and the Odd Fellows Hall. Durgan’s loss was $2,000. (A dollar in 1866 is about $19 today.)
A healthy breeze fanned the blazing furniture store and spread the fire to other buildings. They collapsed in on themselves in under an hour. The Vancouver Barracks sent a fire engine and firefighters. They destroyed two buildings to stop the flames from spreading, saving other downtown Vancouver businesses and residences from igniting.
