29th October 1879
St Helier is ablaze
“But soon it became evident that the building was doomed. The flames were bursting through four windows, the premises being literally wrapped in fire.” So wrote a reporter for the British Press, quoted in Guernsey’s The Star, after witnessing a great conflagration in St Helier. No 12 Esplanade had caught fire some time in the later afternoon but nobody had paid the smell of smoke any attention, having been fooled by a similar smell the week before which turned out to be coming from some houses.
This time, it was a whole lot more serious. What was burning wasn’t wood in a grate, but a warehouse containing empty drinks bottles, six tons of potatoes and apples that had been packed for export to the mainland.
The fire gets worse
Residents from neighbouring houses and businesses did their best to put out the fire using buckets of water but, realising they were getting nowhere, called the fire service, which arrived eventually – after breaking down – and with a leaky hose that couldn’t pump the water quickly enough to prevent the flames from making rapid progress through the building and up to the roof.
News spread and spectators arrived by foot and train. Fortunately, the way the wind was blowing confined the fire to the warehouse and saved nearby buildings, but it wasn’t good news for number 12 which was gutted despite the arrival of 50 soldiers from Fort Regent. A similar fire 12 years later once again required assistance from soldiers stationed at the Fort.
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Other events that occured in October
Prolific writer George d’La Forge dies
- George F Le Feuvre was born in St Ouen on 29 September 1891 and, over the next nine decades, did much to preserve the Jèrriais language, despite spending many years in Canada and America.
- Read more…
Jersey’s last execution takes place
- Joseph Hutchet was executed for the murder of John Perree after a trial that lasted just three days.
- Read more…
St Helier is ablaze
- St Helier was on fire on after a warehouse caught light. Spectators arrived from all over Jersey by train to see the blaze.
- Read more…
Thomas Waite is buried at St Saviour
- Thomas Waite, Member of Parliament for Rutland, was one of the 59 men who sat as judges at the trial of King Charles I, which convicted the king and sentenced him to death. Waite’s signature was on the death warrant.
- Read more…