06/18/2026
🇮🇪 The Dublin Whiskey Fire took place on 18 June 1875 in the Liberties area of Dublin at Malone's malt house and a bonded warehouse on Chamber Street, where around 5,000 barrels of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages were being housed.
At the time, there was a lot of livestock in the city, and the squeals of escaping pigs added to the mayhem as the tenements quickly became empty. Crowds flocked along the alcohol stream amid the "frightening" commotion; for many, the inferno represented a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The flames immediately grew. The wooden barrels carrying the alcohol caught fire as the flames approached them and burst open, spewing a scorching river of whiskey over the streets.
People drank from the 6 inch deep river of whiskey that is said to have flowed as far as the Coombe. Caps, porringers, and other vessels were in great demand to scoop up the alcohol as it streamed from the blazing buildings.
Several men were seen taking off their boots and using them as drinking cups.
There are believed to have been 13 fatalities overall as a result of the fire. None of the victims died in the fires or from smoke inhalation; instead, they all died from alcohol poisoning after consuming "freely of the derelict whiskey."
