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Fires in Dover
June 28, 1689
Major Richard Waldron’s Garrison, Richard Otis Garrison, Payne’s Garrison, a
half a dozen other houses, and Waldron’s mills at Cocheco Falls by all burned
during an Indian attack known as the
Cochecho Massacre.
April 17, 1847
There was a fire in the calico printery at Bellamy at 3:00 on Saturday
afternoon. It caught in the dry house, and being so far out of town the building
was doomed before help arrived. It was owned by Benjamin Poor, and run by Weeden
and Henshaw. The loss was $4000 to $5000, insured, The Dover Gazette of the
following week stated that engine, water wheel, and much of the contents were
saved, but it is not clear how such permanent fixtures could be rescued.
December 27, 1847
Midnight, on a very cold night, a local conflagration occurred in a row of
wooden stores north of the American House. It started in the building occupied
by E.O. Laughton, auction and commission merchant, and spread to the adjoining
building occupied by J.B. Saunders, confectioner, and a building of the heirs of
the late Judge Durrell, occupied by Uriah Wiggin as a provision store, James
Dion, barber, George W. Hayes, trunk and harness store, and shoemaker’s shop
above. The night was still and by great effort the
American House, owned and kept by Captain William B. Smith, was saved
without harm, though only a few feet away. The loss is stated to have been
$6000, very small for so extensive a fire, and the cause was unknown.

April 15, 1848
The freight station of the Boston & Maine was destroyed with nearly all its
contents, only a few years after the railroad was built. The fire occurred at
about 4 A.M. On Wednesday, April 5, 1848. The way bills were burned, but the
loss was estimated to approximate $40,000. The liability of common carriers, it
seems, was not then established, and the loss fell upon the owners of the
merchandise. The Cocheco Manufacturing Company lost several cases of goods,
C.C.P. Moses, a paper manufacturer in Dover, about $250 worth of paper, D.K.
Webster some $800 worth of leather, and a heavy loss is said to have been
sustained by Mr. James Littlefield. The fire is supposed to have originated in a
pile of woolen waste belonging to the Norway Plains Manufacturing Company.
January 11,1850
At 10P.M. on Friday, January 11, 1850, there was a fire in the store of H.S.
Plumer & Company, in the Cocheco Block. The fire-fighters had assistance from
the Cocheco Manufacturing Company, and succeeded in confining the fire to the
store in which it originated, but the stock, save for a small amount which was
removed, was ruined, with at a loss of about $9000, insured in the Cocheco
Mutual of Dover for $3500, and the Atlantic Company of Exeter for $1500. Plumer
& Company lost their books of account and it was also at first thought a large
sum in money. In the same issue of the Gazette which chronicled the fire, there
is published a letter from a writer calling himself “Philo”, commending the
partners as highly worthy young men who had met with a great business calamity
and urging a public assistance to re-establish them.
The cause was supposed to have been the falling of a pile of cotton goods onto a stove. The damage to the building was between $1500 and $200, and a very wet night retarded the progress of the fire.
April 23, 1852
The paper-hanging factory of Crawford and Busby on Fifth Street caught fire at
2A.M. The factory and another building were wholly destroyed, and the dwelling
of Busby damaged; loss $4500. Some one saw light in the factory an hour before
the fire, and it was thought to have been incendiary (arson). A previous rain
saved other buildings, but rendered the streets in bad condition for fire
engines.
May 31, 1860
The large barn and several sheds belonging to James Littlefield burned. The
buildings were filled with rags brought in by his peddlers. His house and store
were saved.
September 19, 1860
There was an extensive conflagration at noon on the Landing. It consumed the
storehouse occupied by George D. Vittum & Company, owned by John Trickey,
containing 700 barrels of flour, 1000 bags of salt, and other property. Another
nearby building, known as the Tannery, occupied by Stevens & Weed, in which the
fire started, was badly damaged. The loss in the two buildings amounted to
several thousand dollars, and, after being subdued, again broke out in the
evening.
January 6, 1862
Fire broke out in the wooden stores on Central Street, near Orchard Street,
known as Marston’s block. The fire originated in the D.N. Wendell Trunk and
Harness shop, most likely from a stove. The weather was extremely cold, near
zero, and several of the hand engines froze after a short time in operation.
Tenants in the building had to be evacuated. They included Levi Brown’s shoe
store, a dentist, Dr. P.A. Stackpole, tailor and merchant Alexander Frazier, R.
Palmers shoe shop, D. Lothrop & Co. druggists, Miss E.A. Horne, dressmaker, Mrs.
Shepard’s Boarding house, and Dr. Lindsey, amongst others. Frank Freeman’s
oyster house was the only one left in condition to be occupied.

Marston's Block
August 9, 1863
Daniel K. Webster’s barn burned along with its contents; 20 tons of hay and $700
worth of hides were consumed by fire caused by children playing with matches.
The barn stood at the foot of Gage Hill and burned while the Websters were at
church. Fortunately the nearby tannery did not catch fire.
November 30, 1865
Fire destroyed the oil carpet factory of Abraham Folsom & Son on Belknap
Street. Seven buildings in the complex were completely destroyed, and three
others were damaged. Fire broke out in the burlap painting building and was
thought to be caused by spontaneous combustion. The works were in full operation
with some 70 employees, and $6,000 worth of stock which had arrived the day
before. Many of the workmen had just been transferred from the Biddeford plant
which had burned down the month previously. The fire department battled
valiantly using their new steam engines but due to the combustible nature of the
materials, oil, benzene etc, the building could not be saved. The firemen had
their work cut out for them just trying to prevent it from spreading to other
streets.
November 23, 1866
The
first Dover City Hall burned. It was built in 1842. In the early
morning, the Hibernians were still holding a ball in the old City Hall on
Central Square. About 1A.M. fire was discovered in the roof and about that time
there was a considerable explosion. The firemen, upon seeing their response, had
difficulty in getting at the fire, as it was contained by the slate roof, and
were forced to carry their lines up on the inside. Nevertheless, they succeeded
in stopping the fire after it had burned the roof and upper story. The upper
story, which the Hibernians were using that night, was occupied by the Strafford
Guards and the Light Battery for armory purposes, and the city offices were
below. Though the lower part was drenched with water, no records were destroyed.
The cause of the fire, or the early explosion, were never known, as 800 rounds
of ammunitions, belonging to the Guards, was afterward found, having fallen to
the lower story without exploding.
September 10, 1869
Fire at the Landing destroyed a storehouse and merchandise at Young’s Tannery.
November 1, 1870
A fire which started in the shoe shop of John E. Goodwin on Fourth Street
destroyed several buildings in the area, including St. Aloysius Church. The
church had just been moved to the lot so a new church could be built on Chestnut
Street. The tower and walls of the church were left standing although they were
damaged by fire and water. An eyewitness described the fire in the church
edifice as one of solemn grandeur, the tower serving as a chimney and the great
windows furnishing the draft, and says that the noise and rush of the fire and
smoke through the tower were fearful to behold. Huge burning embers were carried
away over the city by a howling gale, setting fire to thirty roofs, one being
more than half a mile away. A Chapel Street resident was astride the ridgepole
of his home quenching the landing sparks with a bucket of water and a dipper. A
passerby, seeing the back of the coast of the amateur fireman had taken fire, is
said to have shouted to him a warning in the flippant expression: “Better throw
some water on your back; your coat is blazing.” Over $70,000 worth of property
was destroyed by this fire. Benjamin Pray lost a three story building and a
small shop, as well as a carpenters shop and lumber. Daniel Ford’s bottling
plant was damaged too. C.E. Hayes and S. C. Hayes lost a stable and shop but
their shoe shop and house were saved. They thanked the fire department by
throwing them and oyster supper the next night.
January 30, 1871
Richard Rothwell’s machine shop at the Landing caught fire at 2 A.M. It was a
total loss of $3,000.
July 1,1873
The Wiggin & Stevens Sandpaper mill on Gulf Road burned down. The fire was
discovered at 1A.M. by the engineer on hand. It originated in the quartz
crushing room, and was supposed to have been spontaneous, or incendiary. The
building was 120 by 30 feet, three stories high, and the loss was $40,000 to
$50,000, with $35,000 insurance. The firm employed about 30 hands.
December 28, 1878
Fire was discovered in the singeing room of the Cocheco Print Works. Fireman
soon had it confined to the singeing room, steaming room, and bleachery. The
ringing of the alarm was mistaken by some for the early sounding of the factory
bell and caused some delay in calling the firemen. The firemen were hindered by
extremely bad weather which caused the fire hoses and ladders to be encased in
ice. Several firemen were injured. Captain Abbott to see a surgeon for stitches
before he could return to the fire and assume command.

Cocheco Print Works
January 7, 1881
A fire at the Poor House at the Strafford
County Farm killed thirteen people. The almshouse caught fire due to an
overheated furnace and burned to the ground.
November 11, 1881
The large shoe shop owned by Ira W. Nute on Fourth Street was entirely consumed
by fire. It was occupied by Burt and Strong and Charles A. Dow in the
manufacture of shoes. The shop was filled with valuable machinery and stock. The
fire company was crippled by lack of water. The fire swept across to Fifth
Street. On Fourth Street the double tenement house of Joshua Bragdon and a
carpenter shop west of it owned by Edward Blaisdell and the house of F.W.
Tibbetts were consumed and on Fifth Street the houses of John Leighton, Ira W.
Nute and Edward Morrill with five stables and the barn of the Misses Hill. The
houses of George B. Wentworth and Charles Morrill were damaged. One of the
members of the Northam Colonists who was taken to this fire was so anxious not
to miss anything that her clothing caught fire three times and the feathers were
burned off her hat.
December 29, 1881
A fire in Thurston’s shoe shop near the depot broke out in a store recently
vacated by Wakefield and Colbath. It spread to the store of C.F. Cole whose
entire stock of boots and shoes were lost. The grocery store of John H. Grimes
was totally destroyed. In this fire there was not sufficient force to the water
to reach the fire. The firemen took great risks carrying the hoses up the
ladders when burning timbers were constantly falling about them.
May 2, 1882
A fire broke out at7:40 A.M. in the brush factory operated by Lewis B. Laskey on
Washington Street. The factory was 50 feet back from the street and in the rear
of the
Washington Street Free Will Baptist Church. A breeze blew the flames
toward Fayette Street and very quickly a two story dwelling in the rear took
fire, also a barn in the rear of the brush factory. At the same moment flames
were seen issuing from the eaves of the church. The firemen were implored to
train the streams on the church but owing to confusion of orders this was not
immediately done and the fire spread to the roof which was almost instantly
ablaze. The whole upper story of the structure including the tower was one
unbroken sheet of flame burning with increased fury, and soon was heard the
crash and boom of the upper floor as it fell to the one underneath with a
terrific report. The blazing frame of the tower finally tottered over into the
flames which filled the interior of the church.
This church was built in 1870 at a cost of $23,000 and the last installment on the church debt had been paid, and about a month before the fire, the mortgage was burned with great rejoicing.

The high wind of Tuesday afternoon blew over the gable end and both chimneys of the church which had been left standing. There were several persons in the vestries looking over the ruins some of whom, Mrs. Stuart Clifford, Mrs. Jed Whitney, Job N. Burley and a boy by the name of Dominegue were injured. They were with difficulty taken from the ruins. All were supposed to have been removed. As John R. Varney did not come home to tea his daughter cam down town to learn the cause. He could not be found. On inquiry it was learned that he had been seen in the church at the time of the crash. Search among the ruins was at once instituted by Mayor Murphy and at 11o’clock the body was found. It was evident he must have died instantly being hit by a falling timber which lay lengthwise over his body. The grief over Mr. Varney’s death was as deep as it was universal and the whole city wore an air of sadness. At his funeral in the First Parish Church the edifice was filled. Members of the school board, the City Government, members of the bar and the police force attended in a body.
October 29, 1882
On Sunday morning at 1 a.m. fire was discovered in the steam mill of W.P. Hayes
on Union Street. General alarm was given by ringing of bells and the gong on the
engine house. The fire department was well managed by Major Abbott. The L and
about 100 feet of the main part was burned and the rest was damaged. At this
mill was manufactured doors, windows and blinds. It was supposed to have caught
from the chimney. Loss $35,000. In 1845 this mill, then owned by James H. Davis,
was burned to the ground.
April 15, 1887
Cocheco Print Works
On April 15, 1887 occurred one of the most disastrous fires that had visited the
city for many years. A peculiar feature of the fire was the rapidity with which
it spread. Many workmen had barely time to escape, not a few dropping through
the scuttle rather than risk the stairs. J.T. Sawyer the engineer was at work
about the engine when fire burst into the room. He stopped the engine and leaped
out through a window. Clothes containing wallets and other valuable were left
behind to perish in the flames. The flames shot from the windows and streamed
through the roof in such a raging manner that it seemed no human power could
quench them. In the basement were stored drugs, chemicals, oils, etc. On the
first floor the printing room was in charge of Benjamin Brierly. In this room
were the 12 printing machines valued at $8,000. They went down with the burning
floor a mass of twisted iron. Sixty workmen were employed in the burned part.
There were 500 in the whole building. Washington Anderton was at that time
superintendent, Howard Stockton treasurer. Two hundred thousand yards of print
were burned or damaged. The fire originated in the mather cloth drying box and
was so situated that it was impossible to get at it before it had spread
extensively. Fortunately no one was killed. The part burned had been standing 30
or 40 years. A heavy explosion heard in the afternoon was caused by fire coming
in contact with 1000 pounds of chlorate of potash. On account of the great
quantity of explosives in the basement it was one of the most alarming fires.
The next morning a designer from Boston was drawing up plans for a new building.
March 22, 1889
The second
Dover City Hall burned down.
From the Dover Enquirer, “the City Hall of Dover upon which so much money has
been expended, with which so much fault has been found, the City Opera House
which despite its small size has been the pride of the city is now but a
blackened mass of smoldering ruins and shaky brick walls. With new water works,
a fire department always considered efficient, everyone wonders how a fire which
was so insignificant at the start should spread beyond all control and destroy
the property of the county and the town.” Police officer Robinson discovered a
blaze near the furnace. The alarm was rung in and then the tramps let out of the
police station. The stream from the hydrant was put on and everyone thought the
fire had been smothered. Suddenly a stream of fire was seen in the court room
and from there it extended to the stage and dressing rooms and the city hall was
doomed. Twenty streams were soon playing on the fire, several of them
misdirected. George E. Durgin, Clerk of Court, arrived none too soon to secure
is property in the office. He saved his furniture and a strong box containing
documents of great value. John B. Stevens, city Clerk, braved the smoke in his
office and succeeded in saving a large amount of property with the help of
officers and firemen. Frank Thompkins, Register of Deeds, managed to clear his
office of most of the valuables. C.S. Clifford, Register of Probate, saved part
of his office furniture and papers of value. The Belknap Church as usual took
fire but was saved by the Cocheco Mfg. Co. Hose. When the dome of the City Hall
was all on fire and just before it fell it looked like a gigantic piece of fire
works. The clock kept right on going and not until the fire had half consumed
the tower did it cease running. It stopped at 3:30. When the roof of the tower
gave way the heavy clock crashed down through the stairways and woodwork
stirring up the fire and making it burn more furiously. (Many people though the
building might have been saved under good management of the fire department.
After the fire got beyond control the streams were directed to the safe in City
Clerk Stevens office to save the records. The last official work done in this
office was the reading of the final proofs of the reports of the City Government
for 1888. The readers are now among the Northam Colonists. When the vaults in
the buildings were opened the contents were found injured by water but not
destroyed. The High School cadets lost half their guns in the conflagration. A
few evening before the fire, a dramatic entertainment, the play of Ben Hur, was
given by local talent, under the auspices of ladies interested in the
establishment of a Home for the Aged in this city, and on the night of the fire
a crowded house listened to a concert by a Swedish quartette. On both of these
occasions questions as to the safety of the hall, especially the balconies were
raised so the citizens consoled themselves for their loss in thinking that
possibly a greater catastrophe had been averted.
March 9, 1890
The Sawyer School on Fifth Street,
built in 1870, was destroyed by fire. A new Sawyer School was built on the same
site. On Sunday morning, March 9, 1890 the roof of the Sawyer School building
was burned off and also the school rooms in the second story near the center.
The first floor was damaged only by water.

Sawyer School
The fire was supposed to have caught from the furnace which was thought was not properly looked after by Emerson the janitor. The committee on repair of school houses recommended that a Mansard roof be put on when the school house was rebuilt, and a hall for exhibition and drill be added, with a seating capacity for 400, and it was so recommended by the school committee at the next meeting. This was not done however as the frame work was not considered sufficiently strong to support another story. The pupils were sent to School Street, to Ward house Fifth Street, Hook and Ladder house, First Street and Lowells hall.
March9, 1893
Fire broke out at the County Farm
Asylum while inmates were locked in their rooms, 41 of them died.
June 17, 1897
As church-goers were returning to
their homes on Sunday, they witnessed a spectacular blaze. This was the burning
of the wooden observatory on
Garrison Hill. The records of the fire department
show they were called out by an alarm from the box at Central Avenue and Abbott
Street at 1:08 P.M., but the inaccessibility of the structure rendered their
efforts valueless and it was wholly consumed. The hill remained without an
observation tower from that time until the city established Garrison Hill Park
and Sawyer Memorial Tower was erected in 1913.
March 29, 1906
The fire in the
Masonic Temple was
discovered by Officer Stevens. He gave the alarm and rushed into the building
shouting to those who roomed there of their danger. The inmates escaped, being
unable to save personal effects and barely their lives. The case of Miss Peaslee
was the most sensational. After all were supposed to be out it was discovered
that Miss Peaslee was in the burning building. Lieutenant Jones and Charles
Clark of the Hook and Ladder Company went up a ladder and affected a rescue. On
reaching the ground Miss Peaslee was much cooler that the majority of people who
had been watching her. All the steamers and all the hose of the Fire Company,
Cocheco Manufacturing Company and I.B. Williams and Sons were in use. Portsmouth
Fire Company came but did not unload their engines. During the fire it looked as
if the buildings in close connection to the Temple were doomed. The night was a
tedious one for the firemen who suffered much from cold after being drenched to
the skin, but they kept faithfully at work going from place to place
extinguishing the numerous blazes that were caused by flying embers. The
building stood on the site of the old city hall which was destroyed March 33,
1899. The Temple building was given to Mack and Co. of Salem for 80,900 on June
1, 1891.

January 26, 1907
Mill #1 of the Cocheco Manufacturing
Company was nearly destroyed by fire January 26, 1907. The alarm was given at 6:33 in
Saturday morning for a fire which broke out in the middle of the fourth story of
the building. Some of the operatives in the fourth and fifth stories were cut
off by smoke from the stair ways and there was only one fire escape in the back
side of the mill. They became panic stricken. Two jumped from the fourth story
window and were seriously injured—a dozen men slid down a rope which had been
made fast inside a window burning and lacerating their hands in a horrible
manner by the friction and some found their way to the fire escape. All those
who were injured were as quickly as possible sent to the Wentworth hospital.

Streams of water were played from the engines on Washington Street but the pressure of the water service was very poor and very little water reached the flames. Assistance was given by the Portsmouth Fire Company, The Cocheco Company and Williams Belt factory. The automatic sprinklers in all the stories save the fourth worked perfectly and this with the fire doors no doubt was the means which prevented the spread of the flames in the lower part of the mill.
After the fire had been burning 3/4s hour four men were discovered with their heads outside of a window in the fifth story on the back side calling for rescue. The firemen at once put up ladders which lacked 20 feet of reaching the window. An extension ladder was added and still there was a lack of 10 feet. Lieutenant Bradley of House 1 volunteered to take a pole up and lash it to the top of the ladder. The other end was lashed to the window sill by the men. Bradley stood at the top of the ladder and received the men as they slid down the pole. He did a most daring and heroic piece of work in rescuing them. No. 1 mill was erected by the Cocheco MFG. Company in 1877 at a cost of 640, 000. Five Hundred hands were employed. The machinery cost upwards of a million dollars. The machinery on three upper floors was ruined while that on the first and second was damaged only by water.
This fire showed the need of additional fire apparatus. Soon after 2000 feet of hose and a fire net were purchased, with other appliances, to insure greater safety to the firemen, and to facilitate the discharge of their duties. Mayor White in his last inaugural said the exhibition of bravery by the firemen that day stamped them as real heroes and won for them the lasting gratitude of our citizens.
November 8, 1907
The main part of the American House
on Franklin Square was badly burned out Thursday morning, November 8, 1907. The
proprietors, their families and guests had narrow escapes from suffocation by
the dense smoke which filled every room in the house before the fire was
discovered between the partitions and the seat of it could not be reached. The
smoke was so dense that the firemen were unable to get into the cellar to shut
off the gas and this escaping only added fuel to the flames and kept them
spreading to other sections of the house. The fire was discovered by Patrick
Shea, the clerk, who with the proprietors went to the rooms of the guests to
warn them of the danger. Many escaped thinly clad leaving valuable articles in
their rooms. The private apartments of the proprietors with the stores
underneath in the two wings received very little damage. The stable managed by
John L. Foss was uninjured. The citizens who were at the fire rendered all
possible service in furnishing clothing and shelter to guests. The fire caught
in the basement. When the fire had been subdued Chief Varney assisted the guests
in recovering their property.
January 30, 1913
Central Hall, located on Central
Avenue was gutted by a fire which started in an oven. The building housed
Townsend’s Bakery and Harry Grover’s car dealership. Twenty one cars had to be
moved from the burning building. No caught fire but they were damaged by water.
October 6, 1916
Fire destroyed the Franklin Square
Garage. Seventeen cars inside the garage were badly damaged.
January 6, 1918
Fire destroys the Wiggin Block on
Central Avenue.
October 18, 1927
The club house at the Cochecho
Country Club burned down.
January 3, 1932
Fire destroyed both
Morrill blocks
in Franklin Square. Twenty six businesses were destroyed. The blaze required
fireman from as far away as Haverhill, Massachusetts, and burned so hotly that
the sprinkler system in the Strand Theater was set off The Morrill Block was
rebuilt on a smaller scale. The new building had only two floors and ran from
Third Street to Second Street. No cause was discovered for the fire.

August 3, 1933
The
third City Hall burned.
The City Hall and Opera house was dedicated December 16, 1891 and cost $250,00
to build. It featured a floor that could rise and fall, a chandelier with 95
electric bulbs, three tiers of boxes with brass rails, velvet curtains with gold
fringe, a frescoed ceiling and a cupid mural. The Opera House had a seating
capacity of 1800 and was the largest stage in New Hampshire. Luminaries such as
Jason Robards, Alfred Lunt, Shirley Booth and John Philip Sousa’s band graced
the stage. The first full length movie shown here was “Birth of a Nation”
starring Lillian Gish.
1935 Broadway Baptist Church/ Clement Theater burned.

July 16, 1939
Fire destroyed the 48 year old coal
shed of York Coal and Lumber Company of Burnham and Demerritt Court. The fire
also gutted six tenement buildings and left 90 people homeless.
January 9, 1944
Fire at the garage of the Wentworth
Bus company at the corner of Milk and Mt. Vernon Streets destroyed four busses
and a taxi.
April 27, 1950
Robbins Auto Supply
had a devastating fire in its store on Washington Street, in the old Orpheum
Hotel building. Robbins Auto Parts opened up again the next day in another part
of the store that hadn’t been damaged by fire. The store was rebuilt and is
still operating today.
December 9, 1952
Guppy House,
which was built in1690, was gutted by fire. The fire was caused by faulty
construction of the old heating system.
December 1956
The Greek Orthodox Church
was burned to the ground. Church members raised $38,000 and a new building went
up in 1958.
October 25, 1956
Siegel’s Department Store burned to the ground despite the efforts of almost 70
firemen from 7 surrounding communities. One fireman was overcome by smoke,
four others narrowly averted disaster when they leaped from the roof of the
burning building seconds before it burst into flames and collapsed. Traffic on
Central Avenue was jammed up for two miles and all telephone communications
between Rochester, Somersworth and North Berwick were destroyed by the fire. The
blaze was so hot that 400 feet of hose filled with water burned as fireman
watched. Huge crowds were driven back as roaring flames leapt from the building
and windows shattered. Paint cans and ammunition exploded at the rear of the
building. Firefighters worked for nine hours to bring the fire under
control.

September 30, 1981
The County Farm
Bridge, the last covered bridge in Strafford County, was destroyed by fire. The
bridge was built around 1870 and had an unusual construction featuring a Howard
Truss; a rigid wood and iron span. It was also unique for flat pitch of the
bridge’s roof. The fire department ruled the fire was suspicious in origin.
Firefighters from Dover and Barrington fought the fire for over an hour before
the bridge collapsed into the Cocheco River.

May 1983
More than 50 firefighters from five
communities fought the massive blaze that destroyed Newick’s Restaurant. The
fire began in the gift shop at the front of the building and was ruled
accidental. The buildings wood frame and large open spaces contributed to the
seriousness of the fire which took over 3 ½ hours to bring under control. When
firefighters broke through the front door the fire flashed over them, knocking
two men to the ground. Cylinders of carbon dioxide used to ventilate the lobster
tanks exploded intermittently but there were no injuries. Newick’s Restaurant
was quickly rebuilt and back in business.
February 18, 1989
St. Mary Parish
Hall, located on Chestnut Street, was gutted by fire caused by
careless disposal of smoking materials. Nearly 60 firefighters from 5
surrounding communities battled the fire which began about 2 hours after a Bingo
game ended.
Resources include the Dover Public
Library Dover fires file.
Mrs. John Scales paper entitled “The Great Fires of Dover”, c. 1908 from the
Northam Colonists files.
Notable Fires in Dover by Charles Wesley Thompson, c. 1919 from the Northam
Colonists files.
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