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History of 24 April 1837 : If we talk about the cleanest cities of India, Surat is one of them. Surat is also famous for trade, the sarees here are praised all over the country. The city is also known for its skyscrapers, cleanliness, flyovers etc. Surat city has been progressing rapidly since last few years. It is ahead in providing facilities ranging from clean water to local transport, civil security etc. But along with this, a tragic incident took place in Surat on this day, 24 April 1837, in Surat city of Gujarat.
more than 500 people died
More than 500 people died and 9737 houses were destroyed in the fire in Surat city.
On April 24, 1837, at five o'clock in the evening, boiling pitch or tar fell on the dry wood of a Parsi house in Machli Peeth area of Surat. Due to which a fire broke out there. Neighbors refused to use water from their well to extinguish the fire. Most houses at that time had wooden frames and wooden roofs. In such a situation, the flames from that Parsi's house spread to the neighboring houses and within no time most of the houses in the area got caught in the fire.
Due to strong winds coming from the north, the fire spread three miles within a few hours. The incident was so horrific that by the time it became dark, flames and smoke could be seen twenty to thirty miles away.
The next day after this incident, i.e. on 25th April, the fire spread further due to south-westerly winds. On this day the fire was at its peak at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The fire was extinguished on the morning of 26 April.
Rs 50,000 were given as compensation to those affected by the incident, while Rs 1,25,000 were collected by various charities in Bombay for the damage caused by the fire.