Fire destroys much of a small town in southwestern England and hundreds are made homeless.

The small town of Ottery St. Mary in southwest England was struck with a devastating fire when a blaze broke out around noon in a school and quickly spread across the neighboring thatched roofs. A stiff breeze helped the flames across the Devonshire town till they were checked in the late afternoon.  A careful survey the next day counted 111 buildings destroyed with around 500 people made homeless, though no serious injuries were reported.  (By John Osborne)

Source Citation

"Chronicle," The Annual Register: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroard for the Year 1866 (London: F. & J. Rivington, 1867), 54-57.

    Date Certainty
    Exact
    Type
    Crime/Disasters
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