Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-08-14
New OF CANADIAN FIRE
]. p. Arendt, Former Little
Falls Boy, ellis Of Terri
BILE Catastrophe

city, who is located at Cranbrook, B.
c., writes a very interesting letter to
his sister in regards to the fierce forest
fires which recently devastated a large
area of Canada best standing timber,
and the town of Fernie, population
5000, was completely destroyed, to-
gether with other smaller towns.
He states that the fires originated
from brush fire short distance out
of Fernie, which was pushed onto the
town by a terrific gale, striking the
place at 80 p. m. on August LIST. A
brewery plant was the first of the
buildings of Fernie to go down before
the fire demon. Mr.. Arendt writes
that in talk he had with people from
the stricken towns, they told him that
in minute from the time fire caught
to the building, it exploded and the
flaming mass was carried through the
air for quite distance. The same
seemed to be true with the other
buildings as each was struck with the
terrific fire: Three and half hours
after the town first struck Fernie was
destroyed, and all that remains Of the
town is about ten houses in the out
skirts of the town, and in what was
the main part of the town, a wholesale
house, coal company's office and a
priests house survived the fire. These
latter buildings were of concrete con-
struction. He says that although Fer
ME had excellent waterpower it
proved of no avail, as from the outset
the fire spread so rapidly, that it was
all the people could do to save them
selves, over IS per cent being lucky to
get through with the clothes they had
on their backs. The Canadian Pacific
| and the Great Northern railway COM
panys used all available engines and
cars to take the people out of the
stricken town and to Cranbrook
which town, contrary to what some of
the eastern papers stated, was not
destroyed. 1t is estimated that fully
100 people persisted in the destruction
of the town.
He writes of the relief work as fol-
lows: All telegraph and telephone
connections were destroyed and an op-
orator went outside Of the town till he
reached the first Wire and tapped
same telegraphing from stump in
this town, 'send relief trains with
nurses, food and doctors, medicine, all
of Fernie is destroyed. - At once they
commenced loading train, and same
was on the way at about 7 O'Clock tC
the stricken city Nobody here could
realize really that 1t could be so, but
soon were convinced of the fact. An
other train left for the same place al
~ 00 All the bread in the town wa:
sent, and all available blankets, etc.
, Many people saved their lives by
!; getting into the creek which raj
! orb hn fn1x %h1
on them and it was a case of burn t
death OF seek relief in the water. Per
sons say that the water got warm, bu
t were only troubled by the terrible
smoke which nearly suffocated them
At four O'Clock in the morning tn
e first train came in with people from
! the burned city, having only $50 0
S them. The people looked as though
I clothes and then throw ashes and dir
+ children had no hats. Out of eacl
t family there was one missing. In tn
S morning another train came in witt
$50 more people, and they too ha'
e friends and relatives missing. Mr.
: Arendt says that Offices We're opene'
r in Cranbrook for the relief committee
ana ne was requested to act as StenO
grapher and assistant to the secretary
to whom all relief committees re
g ported. The day following the fir
: Nelson, B. G. and Spokane, Washing
- ton, each sent a carload of provisions
=. etc. The same afternoon that Ferni
was destroyed, Cranbrook was threat
k ened, and all the people went out t
fight the fire. The wind headed tn
= fire in different direction late in tn
- day, and there was no more danger &c
=, that town.