The Buckingham Street Fire of 1753 was the first documented fatal fire in Halifax.
On Thursday, September 1, 1753, between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m., a fire broke out in a dwelling house on Buckingham Street, next door to a bakery owned by Mr. Cowey (possibly Robert Cowie). The fire quickly consumed both the dwelling house and an adjacent barn.
After the fire had been largely extinguished, residents clearing debris discovered the body of a man who had perished in the blaze. His remains were described in stark detail in the Halifax Gazette: his head was burned to a coal, one hand and both feet were burned off, his bowels had burst out, and his entire body was severely scorched. The paper referred to it as a “melancholy Spectacle.”
Conditions that day—little wind and a very high tide—prevented what could have been a much more extensive disaster. The fire occurred during a dry period, and many valuable homes and stores stood nearby. According to the report, it was “vastly the more favourable” that the weather prevented the flames from spreading, and the “vigilance and activity of the people” ensured that further destruction was avoided.
The identity of the deceased was not recorded in the Gazette. Despite Halifax being a relatively small settlement at the time, it seems the victim remained unidentified, or at least unnamed in public reports​.