FIRE in 1901: On Nov. 8, 1901, “Devoured by Flames” was the headline, followed by “Loss is over $150,000.”

In 1901. That’s about $5.4 million today.

Beamer’s Livery and Boarding Stables caught fire, thought to be from someone sleeping in a hayloft. The loss was unthinkable — 38 horses died in the blaze.

The lengthy Era story told of the terrible fire that morning, and the destruction of a “splendid edifice” of the city. The livery was at Kennedy and Boylston streets, and started about 4 in the morning.

George Hendrickson of the National Transit Company telegraph office discovered the blaze. A malfunction in an alarm box led to a late report of the fire, giving it time to take hold in the wooden building. The Citizen Hose Company was the first to the scene, but it was too late to save the horses.

The fire had “such a strong start it could not be checked,” the Era story read. “The flames rolled high in vast outbursts and illuminated the entire town. It was not long before thousands of people were witnesses — but helpless ones — of the most destructive fire in the town’s history.”

The fire could not be contained to one building, and policemen liberated the prisoners from cells “as it was seen the handsome and costly structure” of the city building was doomed. The story recounted the continuing spread of flames, with “half clad people frightened from their slumbers” struggling to save what they could from their homes.

In the end, the losses including the city building and its contents. “The city records were saved in the fireproof vault of the building.”

Frank P. Beamer was owner and proprietor of the livery. More tomorrow.