The Great Fire

Many great cities have had a catastrophic fire in their history and our town of Aalesund was no exception. A fire in 1904 burned down the entire city center. The scene of the aftermath was pretty devastating as 850 houses were nothing but ash heaps and piles of bricks. The fire displaced over ten thousand people and was and still is, the worst in Norway’s history. It started in the middle of the night in a factory, and there were such strong western winds blowing that it took no time at all to burn up the town.




When the first fire alarm sounded, the fire “trucks” had trouble getting to the scene because the horses, which pulled the water tanks, wouldn’t go near the flames, until they were finally blindfolded. Amazingly, there was only one death - an elderly woman who went back to her house to get her purse.



Some houses along the perimeter of town were spared, but there was just one home, in the midst of all the rubble, that miraculously remained unharmed. As the story goes, the man that owned that house was a strong Christian. He later said that God told him if he left his house, it would burn, and anything taken out of the house would also burn; but if he stayed, it would all remain unharmed. All the houses around his burned to the ground, but not his, as he believed God’s promise, and he wouldn’t leave. His wife and children left, and the things they took with them burned, but they were not harmed.



There was a documentary made for television several years ago about that man, as he became somewhat of a folk hero for his ability to hear the voice of God and obey what he heard. His faith touched many lives. The photograph of his house still standing, after the rest of the town burned down, is an unbelievable sight.



While the town of Aalesund was still smoldering, the last King of Prussia, Keiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who had previously visited that coastal Norwegian town and loved it dearly, sent several ships full of supplies for the people, along with building materials to start rebuilding. He also sent architects and engineers who designed and rebuilt it with the Art Nuevo flare that makes it famous today. Norwegians have voted Aalesund as the most beautiful city in their country, and it certainly is.



Most locals feel as horrible as the fire was at the time, in the long run, it turned out to be a good thing. I wonder if they feel the same way about the Vikings.