The Dublin Whiskey Fire catalyzed the acceptance of a more modern fire safety standards for Dublin and the Irish whiskey industry. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, a collection was taken up to support those affected. Reportedly, people used whatever was available to scoop whiskey from the river, and the fact that the whiskey was undiluted meant it was far more potent. Though the river’s blue-burning flames didn’t cause any direct deaths, at least 13 later died from alcohol poisoning. Homes and tenements were destroyed, as well as several commercial businesses. By about 4:00 am the next morning, the fire was finally out.ĭespite confining the fire to the Liberties, the brigade was not able to prevent the blaze from causing considerable property damage. Ash was added to the mixture of manure and tanning byproducts, and a barrier was finally created to stop the flood. There were also numerous tanneries in the Liberties, giving the fire brigade access to the organic waste products associated with making leather. Horses were still used extensively in the transporting of goods at the time, so manure was abundantly available. Unfortunately, the burning river seeped through this barrier and continued to spread.Ĭaptain Ingram eventually realized he and his team would need organic matter to stop the flow. As the torrent was already liquid, if firefighters had doused the whiskey with water, the alcohol would have simply floated to the top.Ĭaptain James Robert Ingram of the Dublin fire brigade initially ordered his men to rip up the road and spread sand gravel to try to dam the whiskey. Initial efforts to stop the river of burning whiskey were unsuccessful. Several hundred additional police and soldiers were summoned to help them control the blaze. ![]() It was also undiluted, and therefore much higher proof than it would be at bottling time.įifteen members of the Dublin fire brigade responded to the flames and knew they were in trouble. First, the whiskey was able to seep under doors and through the building’s cracks. It flooded the narrow, steep streets surrounding the warehouse and created a river of burning whiskey.Ĭertain factors made the fire particularly destructive. ![]() There, around 5,000 barrels of whiskey were held with minimal safety precautions.Įventually, the barrels of whiskey burst and their highly flammable contents poured “in literal torrents from the doors and windows,” according to an article in the Irish Examiner on June 21, 1875. ![]() The cause of the fire remains unknown, but it resulted in a 30-foot-high column of flames shooting through the roof of Malone’s Malt and Storehouse. On June 18, 1875, a fire broke out on Chamber Street in the Liberties neighborhood of Dublin. Decorative Wine Racks & Modular Systems.
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