The 1825 Dee, or Great Miramichi Fire, or Great Fire of Miramichi, as it came to be known, was a massive

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

complex that devastated forests and communities throughout much of northern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in October 1825. It ranks among the three largest forest fires ever recorded in North America.

History

About 1/3 of the homes in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

were destroyed, but the main devastation was to the northeast commencing from Bas Caraquet. The preceding summer was a particularity hot one, with bush fires common. On the evening of October 7, 1825, the firestorm roared through

Newcastle, New Brunswick Newcastle is an urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County. Situated on the north bank of the Miramichi R ...

(now part of the City of

Miramichi The name "Miramichi" was first applied to a region in the northeast of New Brunswick, Canada, and has since been applied to other places in Canada and the United States. Although other interpretations have been suggested, it is believed that "Mirami ...

), and in less than 3 hours reduced the town of 1,000 people to ruins – of 260 original buildings, only 12 remained. Only 6 of 70 buildings survived in the adjacent village of

Douglastown Douglastown is a hamlet in Kinnettles in Angus, Scotland, three miles south-west of Forfar. It takes its name from the landowner who in about 1789 provided land for James Ivory & Co. (in which Mr Douglas was a partner) to build a flax mill to ...

. The fire similarly destroyed other communities, including Moorefield, Napan, and Black River Bridge.

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, Nelson, and

Doaktown Doaktown is a Canadian village in Northumberland County, New Brunswick. The village has a prosperous lumber industry including the Russell and Swim sawmill, now owned by J.D. Irving Limited. Atlantic Salmon fishing is a very popular sport in ...

escaped the fire. The cause of the blaze is not known, but it was likely by humans. About 160 people died in and around Newcastle, including prisoners in the Newcastle Jail. Elsewhere, the totals were likely higher, given the number of lumbermen in the forests at the time (about 3000). To escape the blaze many residents took refuge with livestock and wildlife in the

Miramichi River The Miramichi River is a river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick, Canada. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The name may have been derived from the Montagnais words "Maissimeu Assi" (meaning Mi'km ...

. In total the fire(s) consumed almost 16,000 km² (about 1/5 of New Brunswick's forests). The blaze has been partly attributed to unusually hot weather in the summer and fall of 1825, coupled with outdoor fires by settlers and loggers. The communities were soon rebuilt, but many of those affected moved to communities bordering the

Bay of Chaleur frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is seen to the east.">Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula ...

, including Campbellton, Dalhousie,

Belledune Belledune (2011 population: 1,548) is a Canadian village that straddles both Restigouche County and Gloucester County, New Brunswick. The community of Belledune was created through the amalgamation of Jacquet River, Armstrong Brook, and Bell ...

, and the southern Gaspé coast. It is also probable that some of the displaced persons established a community in the Ottawa Valley formerly known as Miramichi, now known as

Pembroke, Ontario Pembroke is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario at the confluence of the Muskrat River (Ontario), Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley. Pembroke is the location of the administrative headquarters of Renfrew County, thoug ...

. Although the lumber industry recovered, the fire is considered responsible for the end of the

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mast ...

-making industry on the

In the media

The event is commemorated in the 1959

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

recording of ''Miramichi Fire'', a traditional folksong included on the albu
''Folksongs of Maine''
by Sandy Ives. The fire is also the plot of

Valerie Sherrard Valerie Anne Sherrard (née Russell: born May 16, 1957) is a Canadian author of books for children and young adults including the novels ''The Glory Wind'', ''Kate'', ''Speechless'' and the Shelby Belgarden mystery series. Early life Sherrard w ...

's first historical novel ''Three Million Acres of Flame'' (2007). The fire is also referred to in the 2016 novel ''

Barkskins ''Barkskins'' is a 2016 novel by American writer Annie Proulx. It tells the story of two immigrants to New France, René Sel and Charles Duquet, and of their descendants. It spans over 300 years and witnesses the deforestation of the New World fr ...

'' by Annie Proulx.

References

{{coord, 47, 00, 00, N, 65, 34, 00, W, display=title 1825 in Canada 1825 in Lower Canada 1825 fires in North America Natural disasters in New Brunswick Northumberland County, New Brunswick Wildfires in Canada 19th century in New Brunswick 1825 in New Brunswick 19th-century wildfires 1825 natural disasters 1825 disasters in Canada

History

In the media

See also

References