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The Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889 was a conflagration in Bakersfield, California. The fire would burn for three hours and destroyed most of town (later reincorporated as a city). In total, 196 buildings were destroyed, one man was killed and 1,500 people were homeless. The fire marked the transition of Bakersfield from a frontier town to a metropolitan city. Prior to the fire, Bakersfield could best be described as a frontier town. Most of the buildings were constructed out of wood in a low density configuration. Buildings were also set back from the sidewalks. The town did have a network of fire hydrants. Water was delivered by Scribner's Water Tower. ==The Great Fire== The fire started on July 7, 1889. Accounts vary as to the start of it, however, the best supported view was that it began in Mrs. N. E. Kelesy residence (near the intersection of 20th Street and Chester Avenue). She was in the process of preparing Sunday dinner, which was an all day affair. Apparently gas fumes from the stove caught fire, and subsequently caught the house on fire.〔Maynard, John. ''Bakersfield: A Centennial Portrait''. Cherbo Publishing Group. Encino, California: 1997. ISBN 1-882933-19-2. Page 29.〕 Smoke was spotted at 9:00 am, and firefighters were quickly dispatched.〔Bailey, Richard. ''Heart of the Golden Empire''. Windsor Publications, Inc. Woodland Hills, California: 1984. ISBN 0-89781-065-1. Page 61.〕 At that point, the fire was too large for a single hose, connected to a single fire hydrant to handle. More men were dispatched, and a subsequent connection would be made at a neighboring hydrant. It was at this point that a horrific discovery was made. There was not enough water pressure in the line to deliver water to the fire.〔 The fire jumped to the undertakers building, located next door. Since the town was mostly constructed out of wood, the fire quickly jumped from building to building. The town's fire engine finally arrived, but it took 20 minutes for enough steam pressure to build for operation. At that point, the fire was large enough that little could be done to stop it.〔 When the fire reached the Southern Hotel, it was hot enough that the solder, used in the indoor plumbing, was liquefied. Because of the updraft created by the fire, the solder flew into the air and rained down on the streets below. Later, the fire jumped to Scribner's Water Tower at a location which firefighters could not reach it. However, the structure was saved when Will Houghton leaned out a neighboring window and threw a bucket of water on it. In the Kern Valley Bank, a bathtub filled with water was used in an attempt to save that building, but the effort failed. After three hours, the fire was extinguished.〔Maynard, John. ''Bakersfield: A Centennial Portrait''. Cherbo Publishing Group. Encino, California: 1997. ISBN 1-882933-19-2. Pages 29-30.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Great Bakersfield Fire of 1889」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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