The Fire of 1916

Front Street before the fire.

Newspaper Article

Left to right: The Occidental Hotel and annex, John A . Fraser's General Store, The British Bank of North America, and James Reid General Merchants were all lost in the fire.

As the fire raged citizens formed a bucket brigade, while others entered the burning buildings rescuing furniture and goods from the shops and warehouses.

Someone remembered that there was enough dynamite to cause significant damage stored in the cellar of one of the burning buildings. With a rope tied around his waist, Joe St. Laurent retrieved the dynamite from the cellar minutes before the wall gave way

The fire started in the Occidental Hotel annex. However many goods were rescued from the building, including the cash register in this display. Losses were estimated at quarter of a million dollars, comparable to $5.5 million in today's terms.

Dora Homan (left) and Grace Stanton (right) worked at the Occidental Hotel. With both of Quesnel's hotels destroyed by the fire, they quickly opened their home as the Stan-Home Lodge, using beds, silverware and other goods rescued from the Occidental.

Merchants expressed their thanks and announced plans to relocate in the next edition of the paper.