And the fiery whirlwind, fierce and vastHurried away in the mouldering past. “Ashes of Roses,” George M. Baker The Great Boston Fire of 1872 started in a six-story granite building and burned through downtown Boston for two days, destroying 776 buildings over 65 acres. Eleven firemen and fifteen civilians were killed. The monetary loss was … More Ashes of Roses: Hope Amidst Destruction