The Dublin fire of 1875, provoked by an unconventional method (6 photos)

On June 18, 1875, a fire broke out on Chamber Street in the Liberties district of Dublin, Ireland. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, but the first to go up in flames was Lawrence Malone's warehouse, which housed 5,000 barrels (over a million liters) of whiskey and other spirits.





The fire spread quickly, and when the flames reached the wooden barrels that held the liquor, they simply burst, releasing flaming lava into the narrow alleys of the city. The flaming booze set everything it touched on fire.



Illustration of the fire in the Illustrated London News, 1875

People were warned about the fire by our smaller brothers: the shrill squeal of pigs in the pen immediately set everyone on their ears. This prompt warning helped the immediate evacuation, which was later highly praised by the rescue service, as well as the mayor of the city.





Vast crowds gathered along the rivers of liquor, which were nearly two metres wide and 400 metres long on one side of Mill Street. They began scooping up the liquor as it flowed past them, pouring it into a variety of kitchen utensils. Some even took off their shoes and hats to catch the whiskey. Others scooped the 'nectar' into their palms and poured it into their mouths.



People were unaware that the whiskey was undiluted and therefore much stronger than when bottled. The result was predictable - mass alcohol poisoning.



From The Irish Times:

Eight people were taken comatose to Meath Hospital, twelve to Jervis Street Hospital, three to Stephens Hospital and one young man to Mercer Hospital. And even these numbers don't reflect all those who were incapacitated by alcohol.

A total of 13 people died that day, but none of them burned or suffocated. They all died from drinking too much.



Eventually, the fire was extinguished by pouring a mixture of sand and gravel on the blazing liquid. Water could not be used, since alcohol is less dense than water, and the whiskey would have floated to the surface and continued to spread along the streets along with the flames. When the sand ran out, people used horse manure to build barriers. When the burning alcohol hit the wet manure, it was absorbed and the fire gradually died down.

The infamous fire is still remembered today. In 2014, a new craft whiskey blend was released called "The Flaming Pig", named after the squeals of the alarmed pigs who first alerted the townspeople to the danger.