1888 Umeå fire

fire in Umeå, Sweden on 25 June 1888

The 1888 Umeå Fire (Swedish: branden i Umeå 1888) was a fire in the town of Umeå in Sweden. The fire happened on 25 June 1888. The fire occurred during a storm. The storm allowed the fire to spread fast among the wooden houses in town. When the town was rebuilt, stone houses became more common than wooden houses.[1] Birchtrees were planted between the streets. This was because birchtrees are thought to not catch fire so easy. This has led to Umeå becoming known as the "town of birchtrees" (Swedish: Björkarnas stad).[1] The same day a fire also occurred in the town of Sundsvall.

Umeå Old Prison's roof towards the northwest following the 1888 fire

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "Umeå - varför björkarnas stad?" (in Swedish). Skolresurser. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2015.