May Fires of 1862

Categories / Social Life
MAY FIRES OF 1862, a set of catastrophic fires caused by unexpected warm and dry weather. Started on 15 and 16 May (on 16 May, several houses burnt in the Ligovka District), and lasted until the end of the month. The fires from the 21st - 23rd and the 28th of May caused the most destruction. On the morning of 2May Day, 25 houses burnt in the Small Okhta District within an hour and a half. At midday on 22 May, approximately 25 houses burnt in the Ligovka District. On 23 May, five fires took hold in different districts of the city at once; the most serious one was at Small Okhta, where the Soldiers' District was completely burnt (approximately 40 houses). The biggest fire came on 28 May, when the capital's biggest trade centre, Apraksin Dvor, burnt down. Districts with poor and middle classes populations suffered most over the course of the May Fires. Building and shop owners suffered serious losses. Rumours of arson, in which locals accused "radicals", "students" and "Poles" of starting the fires, circulated around the city. Looking to alleviate the aftermath of the fires and help its victims, the Petersburg community asked for donations and organized fundraisers. A special temporary committee, the Commission on Arson, attached to the Petersburg Military Governor, was created to investigate the reasons behind the May Fires. To fight the fires and prevent others from starting, the capital was divided into three temporary military regions. The Chief of Police encouraged citizens to exercise vigilance and forbade smoking in the streets. Despite the fact that not a single plotter was found, the government took a number of measures against the democratic community; in May, N. A. Serno-Solovyevich's book store was closed down, in June the Chess Club was abolished, the publishing of the journals Sovremennik and Russkoe Slovo was halted for eight months, Sunday school teachers were arrests, and the schools themselves were closed down. In July, D.I. Pisarev, N.G. Chernyshevsky, Serno-Solovyevich and a number of other suspect literary men and student protest participants were arrested. After the May Fires, the government paid more attention to fire protection and municipal improvements throughout the city (in 1863-64, the first 115 kilometre water-supply was built, and the fire brigades were equipped with steam pipes).

References: Рубахин В. Ф. Графы Апраксины и их петербургская вотчина - Апраксин двор. СПб., 1912.

D. D. Bogoyavlensky. Chernyshevsky Nikolay Gavrilovich
Pisarev Dmitry Ivanovich
Serno-Solovyevich Nikolay Alexandrovich
Рубахин В. Ф. Графы Апраксины и их петербургская вотчина - Апраксин двор. СПб., 1912 Apraksin Yard
Fire Safety
1862