Great Boston Fire of 1872

The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83–87 Summer Street.^[1] The fire was finally contained 12 hours later, after it had consumed about 65 acres (26 ha) of Boston's downtown, 776 buildings and much of the financial district, and caused $73.5 million in damage (equivalent to $1.667 billion in 2023).^[2][3] The destruction to the buildings was valued at $13.5 million and the personal property loss was valued at $60 million.^[1] In the end, at least 30 people died, including 12 firefighters.^[4]