Incêndios (Extinção de)

The municipal fire extinguishing service in the city was initiated in 1837, with the Chamber spending 460$000 réis on the acquisition of a pump brought from London through the house of João de Oliveira & C.ª. Before 1837, the pumps belonged to some individuals, who were employed in extinguishing fires, and the drivers of the pumps were exempted from serving in the national guard, in order to be able to count on their help in times of need. The fire extinguishing service only began to be well performed in 1889, due to the creation of the Voluntary Firefighters Company of Funchal. Before that, the greatest follies were committed during fires, with mirrors and crockery being thrown from the windows of the buildings affected by the fire, to prevent them from being destroyed by it! In August 1878, during a fire that broke out in a building on Rua da Alfândega, where the bakery and confectionery of the Englishman Payne were located, so many glass and crockery were thrown into the street that some people supposed that the damage caused by man in the same building was greater than that caused by the fire. At the end of the volume or as a supplement to this work, we will provide a more detailed account of the improvements introduced in the fire service, and in particular, we will refer to the Voluntary and Municipal Firefighter Corps that have been organized for this purpose in this city.