The Great Fire of Hakodate () is a fire that broke out in

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

on March 21, 1934. It is one of the worst city fires in Japan.

Overview

On March 21, 1934 a fire was started in a house located within the Sumiyoshi area, Hakodate. Over two days, burning debris, fanned by strong winds, set fire to the surrounding areas including a local court, department store, school, and hospital. According to official documents, 2,166 people lost their lives, with 9,485 injured; 145,500 people made homeless and 11,055 buildings lost. A serious fire destroyed around two-thirds of all buildings in Hakodate. This event also led to many residents leaving and subsequently depopulating the city.

References

External links

函館大火
- 函館市消防本部

- 函館市史
1934年3月23日付大阪毎日新聞
- 神戸大学附属図書館新聞記事文庫
昭和9年函館大火の記録映像 1934年3月21日
- YouTube {{coord missing, Japan Hakodate March 1934 events Fires in Japan 1934 fires in Asia 1934 disasters in Japan