New York city on fire: the devastating fire of 1776

On September 21, 1776, a disaster came to new York that was later called the Great fire (not to be confused with another similar event that occurred in 1845). Flames engulfed the southern part of Manhattan, it happened at the very beginning of the British occupation. According to historians, 500 to 1000 buildings were destroyed in the fire, and the remaining houses were later looted. After the tragedy, the British rebels were immediately blamed for the arson. Historian Barnet Schecter refutes this accusation, because he believes that the version of arson does not stand up to criticism, and the appearance of fire in several places is due to the rapid spread of the fire on the roofs.

The fire raged in the morning. This was facilitated by dense buildings and dry weather. Residents with those things that they managed to grab, immediately ran towards the wasteland. The fire, which broke out near the "Fighting roosters" tavern, headed for Broadway and destroyed most of the houses located closer to the Hudson. Everything started to calm down after the wind changed direction. On the old map, you can see the destroyed areas marked in red.