A Barrel of Combustible Material Placed Near the Building and Ignited at 2 o’clock this Morning.

Editor’s Note: In recognition of National Fire Prevention Week, City of Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo has shared some of the department’s archives and journals reporting on the earliest recorded fires in the city. Each day this week, we’ll present a selection from those early records.

As reported by The Morning Sun June 13, 1899

An alarm of fire awakened the inhabitants of Norwich at 2:15 this morning. The fire was located at the old Goodrich store house, corner of South Broad and Front streets, on the proposed site of the new Calvary Baptist church.

The fire when discovered was blazing up the outside of the building on the south end, and sprung up from a barrel of some combustible material that had been placed near the building and ignited. It was clearly a case of incendiarism.