khoji parkDisasters · Dublin · 1875
A Whiskey Fire Sent Burning Spirits Through Dublin’s Streets
A bonded storehouse fire in 1875 sent a river of whiskey through Dublin.
Read in slides1. Warehouse Blaze
On the evening of June 18, 1875, a fire broke out in a bonded storehouse in Dublin's Liberties area. The building on Chamber Street contained thousands of hogsheads of high-proof whiskey and spirits. The exact cause of the ignition remained unknown, but flames spread rapidly through the wooden structure. High temperatures soon caused the maturing barrels to burst and explode.
Intense heat triggered barrel explosions.
2. Flowing Alcohol
As the wooden casks ruptured, a burning river of undiluted whiskey poured through the doors and windows. The flaming stream flowed down Ardee Street and turned toward Mill Street, demolishing a row of small houses. Livestock pens caught fire, and fleeing animals added to the surrounding confusion. Residents evacuated their homes in a frenzied panic as the conflagration advanced.
Flaming liquid flooded neighboring streets.
3. Crowd Gathering
As news of the fire spread, hundreds of onlookers flocked to the area to witness the unusual spectacle. Many individuals spotted an opportunity to collect free alcohol from the flowing stream. People scooped up the liquid using caps, porringers, jugs, and even their own boots. Participants drank the undiluted cask-strength spirit directly from the street.
Crowds collected the flowing alcohol.
4. Emergency Response
Captain James Robert Ingram led the Dublin Fire Brigade to the scene shortly after the alarm was raised. Hundreds of police officers and soldiers also arrived to assist with evacuation efforts. Firefighters quickly realized that water only caused the burning alcohol to float and spread further. Ingram required an alternative method to contain the advancing river of spirits.
Water failed to extinguish the burning liquid.
5. Manure Dams
To halt the flow, Ingram utilized horse manure from local yards to construct dams across the streets. The absorbent material successfully soaked up the burning spirits and extinguished the flames. Soldiers and firefighters worked alongside local volunteers to maintain the improvised barriers. This unconventional strategy prevented the fire from reaching additional residential blocks.
Manure barriers successfully absorbed the burning spirits.
6. Hospital Admissions
Dozens of people who ingested the street whiskey collapsed into comatose states within hours. Emergency services transported affected individuals to Meath Hospital, Jervis Street Hospital, and other medical facilities. Doctors treated the patients for severe alcohol poisoning as their conditions deteriorated rapidly. Medical staff worked through the night to stabilize the intoxicated victims.
Hospitals received numerous patients suffering from poisoning.
7. Fatal Overdoses
Thirteen people died in the aftermath of the disaster without suffering any burns or smoke inhalation. Inquests confirmed that every fatality resulted directly from acute alcohol poisoning caused by drinking the derelict whiskey. Among the victims was a young laborer named William Smith, who was hospitalized in a coma and died at Richmond Hospital after consuming the liquid. Medical examiners documented the lethal effects of the high-proof spirit.
Thirteen individuals succumbed to alcohol poisoning.
8. Extensive Damage
The fire destroyed thirty-five houses and displaced numerous working-class families across the district. Only a small fraction of the stored whiskey barrels were successfully recovered from the ruins. Lord Mayor Peter Paul McSwiney inspected the devastation and praised the rapid evacuation efforts. Authorities commended the emergency services for preventing a higher human toll.
Property damage totaled over one hundred thousand pounds.
9. Peculiar Incidents
The chaotic aftermath included several bizarre incidents reported by local newspapers. A rabid dog that had ingested the whiskey ran through a residential street before jumping from a top-floor window. Several individuals were arrested for intoxication after attempting to roll salvaged casks away from the scene. Distillers faced intense public scrutiny regarding warehouse safety standards.
Newspapers reported several strange occurrences.
10. Permanent Changes
The thirteen recorded deaths were attributed to alcohol poisoning after people drank from the spilled spirits, rather than burns from the fire. Firefighters eventually contained the burning flow, including by using available material to form barriers in the streets. The fire destroyed stored whiskey and damaged the area, but the cause of the fatalities was different from the visible flames driving the emergency response.
The recorded deaths came from drinking the spilled alcohol.