The Great Barkerville Fire

Fire.

This was the single greatest threat common to all BC frontier communities. 

More than flood and famine, more than the threat of epidemic, fire haunted the minds of those who valued their lives and their property.

Nevertheless, fires occurred with deadly frequency. Open hearths, poor construction standards, inadequate to non-existent firefighting equipment—and, often, a fatalistic approach to impending calamity—meant, that sooner or later, almost every community had its day of doom.

You’ll read all about Barkerville’s great fire in this week’s BC Chronicles.

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PHOTO: On Sept. 17, 1868, the day after the fire, Barkerville lay in ruins. —BC Archives