Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company Building - 1908 Fire - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com

The city of Fernie, British Columbia has endured a number of major fires. Most notable was the fire of 1908, which destroyed nearly every building in town. This building, which currently serves as the City Hall, survived the fire due to it's strategic location and choice of building materials. About 300 people sought shelter from the fire in this building.

In just 90 minutes, the bulk of the city of 5 000 people was destroyed. The fire would go on further up the Elk Valley to destroy the brand-new townsite at Hosmer 13 km (8 mi) north and eventually almost touch the twin villages of Michel and Natal near the Alberta border before burning out.

The final toll was eight deaths (six in Fernie, two in Hosmer) and all but 23 houses in the city left standing. Around 1000 buildings were destroyed, incurring a massive CAN $5 million (CAN $123 million in today’s money) worth of damages. (sources: basementgeographer.com crowsnest-highway.ca

The following is adapted from http://ferniemuseum.com/fernies-historic-downtown/: The Great Fire of 1908 was a dramatic, defining moment for Fernie that saw the community obliterated by fire in less than 90 minutes on August 1st, 1908. Out of the smoldering ashes rose Fernie’s historic main street much as we see it today.

After the Great Fire, Fernie city council decreed that “all buildings within a ten-block section be constructed of fireproof material”.

City Hall (1905) was once the home of the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company and is a survivor of the 1908 inferno. It was strategically located in the middle of a block to minimize fire risk and served as a place of refuge for the survivors during and after the Great Fire.

The images below shows the aftermath of the fire, with the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company Building visible

The former Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company Building (now Fernie City Hall) as seen today: