1753 The Earliest Known Structure Fire
• At the end of the summer, on September 1, 1753, the Royal Gazette (the only newspaper in circulation in Halifax at the time) described a house fire in a gruesome way. It was the earliest found structure fire that appeared in a newspaper in Halifax (transcribed as is):
Last Thursday Morning, between two and three o'Clock, a Fire broke out in a Dwelling House in Buckingham Street, next Door to Mr. Cowey's the Baker, which in a short Time consum'd both that and a Barn adjoining. After the Fire was pretty well extinguish'd, some Persons as they were removing the Rubbish, discovered the Body of a Man which was burnt in a most terrible Manner, his Head was burnt to a Coal, one Hand and both Feet burnt off, his Bowels gushing out, and his whole Body exceeding scorched, (a melancholy Spectacle.) As there was little or no Wind, and the Tide very high, tho' an exeeding dry Time, made it vastly the more favourable, otherwise a Number of valuable Dwelling Houses, Store, Houses, &c. which stood contiguous, must, in all human Probability have inevitably been destroyed.