Great Fire of 1912

One of the new additions to the brigade which proved invaluable during the crisis

Aftermath of the Great Fire

Malton Fire Department members based at Gerrish Square Fire Station

The Great Fire of 1912 was a major conflagration that swept through a large area of Malton, including several deliberately lit and initially localised blazes, from Thursday the 15^th of August to Saturday the 24^th of August, 1912.

Causes

One of the reasons the fire spread unchecked was the current state of the fire department. Large businesses and the more kind hearted councilmen maintained private fire departments, but they were all independent and lacked any form of cohesion. When the first flames rose above Malton the first two fire teams on the scene from Headland Street and Cocker Boulevard came to blows over who would extinguish the blaze. Two further teams were sucked into this melee, before the highly efficient fire team 9, sponsored by The Alner Family arrived on the scene with their water pumping carriage.

Some less fortunate firemen paid a higher price for this competitiveness. Members of the Cade Place team, were trapped inside their own building by a number of carts placed there by the ever enthusiastic Getsom Drive Fire Station team, who wanted the glory of fighting the fire to be all theirs. When the fire spread unchecked only 3 firemen survived the building's destruction.

By this time the fire has spread beyond the initial site and was uncontrollable.

Religious Outfall

Prior to the fire around 30% of Malton was Christian, with only negligible amounts of members of other religions. However the extent of the fire, and the fact that locations on the list of Amusing Locations in Malton were seemingly 'targeted' by the fire would soon change this.

After the passing of the fire the Church declared the list to be evil and a work of the devil, clearly evident in the fact that God had targeted its locations when unleashing judgment upon the sinners of Malton. After this announcement citizens of Malton immediately went on a witch hunt, burning many locations on the list that had not been destroyed and slaughtering the contributors to the list. Fearing for their own lives, or perhaps caught up in the religious frenzy sweeping Malton, Maltonians rushed to join Churches in record numbers. This resulted in the construction of many new churches and Cathedrals across the city.

Further Reading

• List of articles to do with the Great Fire
• Another Great Fire
• Amusing Locations in Malton

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