Richard Schneider

Seattle Fire Department (Images of America) Richard Schneider

On June 6, 1889, 25 city blocks of the city of Seattle and every mill, wharf, and warehouse from Union to Jackson Streets were consumed in a firestorm that started when a glue pot tipped over. Both of the Seattle firehouses burned in the devastating inferno, and the result was the end of the volunteer fire department and the formation of the Seattle Fire Department. Seattle got its first fireboat in 1891, at a little fire station at the foot of Madison Street and Alaskan Way, and the department depended on horse-drawn equipment until 1924, when the last horse was retired. Boasting the oldest continuously operating medic unit in America, today's Seattle Fire Department is a proud organization with 34 fire stations and more than 1,000 uniformed personnel.