Between the 15th and the 17th November 1824, a series of fires broke out in Edinburgh which did more destruction to property than anything of the kind which had previously been experienced. The first outbreak started in a large house of seven stories in the High Street, at the head of the old Assembly Close.

The First Fire

At about ten o'clock on the evening of Monday the 15th November 1824 flames burst forth from premises occupied as a copperplate printing house and spread upwards to the roof and from there to the roof of the neighbouring house. In less than an hour the three adjoining tenements were ablaze.

Seeing that the loss of these houses was inevitable the firemen turned their attention to premises which were as yet untouched. They were successful in preserving the house to the eastward, but in the opposite direction, the building which contained the office of the Courant newspaper was soon on fire.

During this time, the fire was rapidly spreading backwards to the Cowgate. Here were many old buildings crowded together, full of paneling of old timber, and they were soon destroyed. To the west of the Courant office the spread was stopped, but not so much by fire fighting as by the circumstance of the neighbouring building being one storey higher, thus preventing the fire from spreading from roof to roof. By nine o'clock on Tuesday morning the fire began to burn itself out and by midday it seemed entirely subdued.

The Second Fire - Tron Kirk

About two hundred yards distant from the scene of the first conflagration stood the Tron Kirk, a building dating back in its completed state from 1673. At noon on Tuesday the 16th November 1824 an alarm was given that the steeple was on fire and a small flame was seen issuing from the corner of the square tower. Some engines were immediately sent to the spot and with long ladders the firemen reached the roof of the church, where they attempted to prevent the fire spreading in the steeple. Their efforts failed and in a short time the whole of the steeple, which was of wood covered in lead, was on fire. The flames ascended rapidly to the top presenting, as was stated at the time, "a sublime and terrific spectacle", and in three quarters of an hour the woodwork of the steeple fell to the ground.

The intensity of the heat was so great that the church bell, which weighed about two tons is stated to have melted. At this point "a very powerful engine" belonging to the Board of Ordnance arrived and with its help the fire was at last completely subdued.

The Third Fire - Parliament Square

At about ten o'clock on the night of Tuesday the 16th November 1824 a new alarm was given of a fire having broken out in Parliament Square. It started on the top floor of an eleven storey building on the side of the square which overlooked Cowgate and appears to have had no connection with the Tron Kirk fire. Owing to the great height of the building, it was impossible to bring the fire engines to bear effectively on the flames, which spread rapidly in all directions. By four o'clock in the morning the whole of the building was a mass of flame. About an hour later, the fire had extended to the east of the square and the new Jury Court Room was amongst the premises destroyed. By eight o'clock the violence of the flames abated and at that time the interior walls of the south east angle of the square fell upon the front wall which collapsed into the street.

During the whole night, while the conflagration was raging, shower of ignited embers and sparks were flying through the air, falling on streets and houses. These sparks set fire to other buildings in the rear of the High Street and in numerous other places but fortunately they were comparatively small outbreaks and were fairly easily extinguished.

Losses

By Thursday the 18th November 1824 the fires were practically all extinguished but the damaged in the city was considerable. A contemporary account says:

"The scene of desolation presented by the ruins is beyond belief. It has been described as giving the impression of a city sacked and burnt by an enemy rather than a mere casual conflagration."

It was impossible to state accurately the value of property destroyed but this has been estimated at about £200,000. Ten persons were killed, either by falling buildings or burns and many others were seriously injured. The numbers of families rendered homeless was between four and five hundred and a fund was started for their relief.

Consequences of the Fire

It is interesting to note that James Braidwood, who was later to be Superintendent of the London Fire Engine Establishment, was at the time Superintendent of the Edinburgh Fire Engines, and had in fact held this post for only three weeks when the fires broke out. The disaster was such that the authorities and insurance companies readily agreed to Braidwood's recommendations for en efficient brigade and one was formed which soon became a model among fire brigades and a tribute to Braidwood's zeal and enthusiasm.

A further result of the fire was the drawing up, in January 1825, of a list of Fire Regulations by the Lord Provost and Magistrates of the City which laid down rules of conduct for police, firemen, magistrates and property owners in the event of a fire.