Arya News - As wildfires scorch Southern California, let’s recall the profound impact left by some of history’s devastating fires.
As wildfires scorch Southern California, let’s recall the profound impact left by some of history’s most devastating fires.Notre Dame fire (2019)No culprit has been found five years on from the fire that ravaged the iconic French cathedral and contaminated areas of Paris with toxic dust and lead. Totally restoring it is expected to run into 700 million euros ($767 million). Great Matheson Fire (1916)Coffins lined the tracks of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway after Canada’s deadliest forest fire, in which some 200 people were killed. As sparks from dynamite used by railway companies may have been the cause, new regulations were set in place. Reichstag Fire (1933)The Reichstag fire was such a boon for the Nazis that it is speculated they started it themselves. Chancellor Adolf Hitler blamed the communists for setting it ablaze, used an emergency law to crush all opposition, and harnessed total power. While no one died in the fire itself, it set the stage for the largest conflict in human history, WWII, which is estimated to have claimed from 70 to 85 million lives. US Great Fire (1910) The “Big Burn” fire across North Idaho and Western Montana destroyed enough timber to fill a freight train 3,900 km long, prompting the creation of a federal fire protection system. The Great Fire of New York (1835)Firefighters drilled holes in the frozen East River and Hudson River to get to water during the blaze. No wonder the nation’s first aqueducts were built after the fire. Great Fire of London (1666) A new stone London rose from the ashes of this fire that destroyed over 13,000 mostly timber homes. Interestingly, the first fire insurance companies were established. Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt (48 BC) It took centuries for humanity to recover from the loss of the priceless knowledge contained in the over 40,000 ancient scrolls on science, philosophy, literature, etc. that were lost in the fire.