Well There‘s Your Problem Episode 191: The Great Seattle Fire
Dec 12, 2025
Victoria Scott, a recurring guest host and expert on urban planning, dives into the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. She explores Seattle's precarious geography, built on tidal mudflats with a weak infrastructure that led to catastrophic consequences. The discussion includes the timber economy, the fire's dramatic origins from a glue pot accident, and the explosive impact of whiskey barrels. Victoria highlights the rebuilding efforts and new regulations that shaped the city’s future, illustrating how disasters can lead to growth and transformation.
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Broken Water Systems Made Firefighting Futile
- Seattle's water was fragmented across private wooden pipes and competing companies, leaving hydrants ineffective.
- The city's decentralized, low-pressure system caused hydrants to lose pressure as the fire burned the wooden pipe supports.
Basement Fire Hid Under Wooden Sidewalks
- Firefighters struggled to locate the glue-fire because it burned under the sidewalk and through basement walls before anyone found it.
- By the time crews ripped up sidewalks to find the source, the blaze had spread into adjacent basements and under streets.
Hoses Ran Dry; Crews Sought Bay Water
- Hydrant pumps failed as heat burned wooden supports and piping, dropping pressure to nothing during firefighting.
- Volunteers then hauled hoses to Elliott Bay at low tide, wading across mudflats to draw seawater under heckling crowds.