Historedia
EuropeEvent

Dublin whiskey fire kills thirteen

When
1875
Where
Liberties area, Ardee Street; Cork Street, Ardee Street, Chamber Street, Mill Street, Coombe; Liberties area
Episodes
4

On 18 June 1875, a fire in a Dublin whiskey storehouse caused barrels to explode, releasing burning whiskey into the streets. Although no one died directly from the fire, thirteen people died from alcohol poisoning after drinking the undiluted spirit. Property damage exceeded £100,000, correcting the anachronistic legacy figure.

Episodes

  1. 18 June 1875 · Liberties area, Ardee StreetWhiskey Storehouse Fire

    A fire broke out in a Dublin Liberties storehouse on the night of 18 June 1875; it is believed to have started in Laurence Malone's bonded storehouse.

  2. 18 June 1875 · Cork Street, Ardee Street, Chamber Street, Mill Street, CoombeBurning Whiskey River

    Exploding barrels released a burning river of whiskey that flowed through Dublin streets, destroying houses and killing pigs.

  3. 18 June 1875 · Liberties areaFatalities from Alcohol Poisoning

    Thirteen people died from alcohol poisoning after drinking the undiluted whiskey from the burning stream.

  4. 18 June 1875 · Liberties areaProperty Damage Estimate

    Total property damage was estimated at over £100,000, including £54,000 for the lost whiskey.

Background and detail

Background. The incident began in the Liberties area of Dublin when a fire broke out in a bonded storehouse. The fire is believed to have started in Laurence Malone's bonded storehouse on the corner of Ardee Street, where 5,000 hogsheads of whiskey were stored, valued at £54,000. This location was the origin point for the disaster that unfolded that evening.

Incident. At 9:30 pm, heat caused barrels to explode, sending burning whiskey through doors and windows. The escaped spirit formed a burning river six inches deep, flowing down Cork Street, turning onto Ardee Street, and reaching the Coombe. This stream destroyed 35 houses and killed several pigs.

Aftermath. No human fatalities resulted directly from the fire or flood. However, thirteen people died from alcohol poisoning after consuming the undiluted cask-strength whiskey from the stream. Total property damage was estimated at over £100,000, with the lost whiskey accounting for £54,000 of that total.

Sources

  1. Dublin whiskey fire Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-09

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.