Great Fire of Portland 1866

E59329

The Great Fire of Portland 1866 was a devastating conflagration that swept through much of Portland, Maine on July 4, 1866, destroying large portions of the city’s downtown and waterfront and becoming one of the most destructive urban fires in 19th-century America.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Great Fire of 1866 1
Great Fire of Portland 1
Great Fire of Portland 1866 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf disaster
historical event
urban fire
alsoKnownAs Great Fire of Portland 1866
surface form: Great Fire of Portland

Great Fire of Portland 1866
surface form: Portland fire of 1866
areaDestroyed about 1800 buildings
about 55 acres
cause Fourth of July celebrations
fireworks accident
commemoratedOn historical markers in Portland, Maine
country United States of America
surface form: United States
day July 4, 1866
destroyed Portland City Hall
surface form: Portland City Hall (original building)

Portland’s commercial district
many churches in Portland, Maine
many warehouses on the Portland waterfront
documentedIn Maine Historical Society
surface form: Maine historical society publications

Portland city records
contemporary newspaper accounts
endDate 1866-07-05
followedBy reconstruction of Portland in brick and stone
hasEffect destruction of large parts of Portland waterfront
destruction of much of downtown Portland
homelessness for thousands of residents
major rebuilding of Portland, Maine
historicalSignificance largest urban fire in Maine history
one of the most destructive urban fires in 19th-century America
influenced adoption of stricter building codes in Portland, Maine
shift from wooden to brick construction in Portland
locatedIn Portland, Maine
locatedInAdministrativeTerritory Maine
locatedInTime 19th century
numberOfDeaths approximately 2
numberOfHomeless approximately 10000
numberOfInjured dozens
partOf history of Portland, Maine
history of urban fires in the United States
pointInTime 1866-07-04
relatedEvent Great Boston Fire of 1872
Great Chicago Fire of 1871
surface form: Great Chicago Fire
relatedTo Fourth of July celebrations in the United States
significantPlace Commercial Street (Portland, Maine)
surface form: Commercial Street, Portland, Maine

India Street neighborhood, Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
surface form: Munjoy Hill area, Portland, Maine

Portland peninsula
startDate 1866-07-04
timePeriod Reconstruction era

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Portland Observatory survived Great Fire of Portland 1866
Great Fire of Portland 1866 alsoKnownAs Great Fire of Portland 1866
this entity surface form: Great Fire of Portland
Great Fire of Portland 1866 alsoKnownAs Great Fire of Portland 1866
this entity surface form: Portland fire of 1866
Portland, Maine notableEvent Great Fire of Portland 1866
this entity surface form: Great Fire of 1866