The 1915 Fire

The 1915 Fire. . Downtown La Porte was virtually destroyed on June 6, 1915, when the worst fire in La Porte's history engulfed the area in flames. It was only the hardiness and resilience of the business owners that brought the town back from near devastation., The fire started the old Besson Building at the corner of Main and Second streets. Because part of the old building was used at that time as a filling station and garage, the fire quickly spread in the oil-soaked structure., The town's only fire department, a hand-pulled chemical tank, was brought in, but the small tank was powerless to douse the growing conflagration. The townspeople formed bucket brigades, but the fire was too three blocks of downtown, engulfing the small city in flames. The old wooden buildings and strong breeze formed a combination that was too much for the volunteers to handle. The Houston Fire Department was called, but because of the conditions of the roads the firefighters arrived too late to be of any help., Most of the retail establishments that were destroyed were also living quarters; consequentially, many of the merchants were left homeless. Although few had insurance, only one failed to rebuild - a tribute to the hardiness of the early settlers.