First Major Fire, 1816
From the June 14, 1816 edition of the Raleigh Register
Raleigh's first major fire on record began before midnight. Dozens of volunteers formed a bucket brigade but were unable to control the blaze. Within two hours, the fire destroyed 51 buildings in the first two blocks of Fayetteville Street. The conflagration was finally controlled by using dynamite to destroy a building in the path of the flames. The State House in Union Square was saved by men who climbed onto the roof and wet it down.