1906 Dundee fire

Conflagration in Dundee, Scotland February 2018 February 2018 thumb|A hand-coloured postcard depicting the fire. In July 1906, the city of Dundee was the site of a large fire caused by the ignition of a bonded warehouse. The fire, which burned for 12 hours, has been described as the most destructive fire in the history of Dundee.http://bygone.dundeecity.gov.uk/bygone-news/july-1906 July 1906 - Bygone Dundee: Dundee's Greatest Fire Dundee City Council 2014-03-27 The fire was described by an eyewitness as sending "rivers of burning whisky" through the city.http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Community/Heritage-and-History/article/10726/dundee-fire-postcard-tells-the-1906-tale-of-rivers-of-burning-whisky.html Dundee fire postcard tells the 1906 tale of 'rivers of burning whisky' 2011-02-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20110214015001/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Community/Heritage-and-History/article/10726/dundee-fire-postcard-tells-the-1906-tale-of-rivers-of-burning-whisky.html 14 February 2011 dead dmy-all Background James Watson and Co. were wholesale whisky merchants whose premises occupied a large site in Dundee on the corner of Trades Lane and Seagate. In 1906 about 300 people were employed by the firm.McKean Charles, and Whatley, Patricia, with Baxter, Kenneth Lost Dundee. Dundee's Lost Architectural Heritage 2008 Birlinn Edinburgh 9781841585628 192–193 Watson and Co. were based at 97 Seagate with Customs Bond No. 4 next door at 99 Seagate.The Dundee Directory 1906-1907 1906 James P. Mathew & Co Dundee 633 The Fire An employee of James Watson & Co. was passing the building on the evening of 19 July 1906 when he noticed smoke emerging from its roof. The building was soon ablaze and large vats of whisky caught fire and exploded, leading to flaming alcohol raining down on surrounding streets and buildings. The fire quickly spread to other buildings. The premises of another whisky merchant in nearby Candle Lane were also destroyed. So bad was the inferno that firefighters had to be called from Edinburgh to help fight it. The fire attracted thousands of spectators who gathered to watch the blaze and the sight of 'rivers of blue-flamed whiskey flowing into street drains'.Brochtie Alan Herd Jack Wheels Around Dundee 2002 Stenlake Publishing Ayrshire 978-1840332100 36 Aftermath At the time of the fire it was estimated that £450,000 worth of damage had been caused. The following year's Dundee Directory reported that the fire had 'desolated a large portion of the neighbourhood' around Seagate, Trades Lane and Candle Lane, and that as a result a large area for building operations had opened up.The Dundee Directory 1907-1908 1907 James P. Mathew & Co Dundee 14 New bonds designed by David Baxter were built on the site in 1907 and are now listed buildings. Whisky blending at Watson's Bond ceased in 1981 and the bonds closed in 1987.2, 4 Candle Lane and 99 Seagate and 25-37 (odd Nos) Trades Lane, Watson's Bond, Hm Customs Warehouse, Dundee http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-25194-2-4-candle-lane-and-99-seagate-and-25-37- British Listed Buildings 30 April 2012 References 56.4630 -2.9667 type:event_region:GB title Category:Fires in Scotland Category:1906 in Scotland Category:Urban fires in the United Kingdom Category:1900s in Dundee Category:July 1906 in the United Kingdom Category:1900s fires in the United Kingdom Category:1906 disasters in the United Kingdom Category:1906 fires