Hampton Roads' Greatest Fires-- Part 1

From the March 20, 2014, Hampton Roads (Va.) Daily Press by Mark St. John Erickson. //// I'll write about the Civil War fires in my Running the Blockade Civil War Blog. I have read many of Mr. Erickson's articles and this guy really knows his local area history. //// The first big fire was in 1608 when the struggling Jamestown was staggered. //// NORFOLK IN FLAMES: Royal Navy guns and landing parties torched the waterfront on Jan. 1, 1776. Then, local patriots began burning Loyalist properties. The fires continued for three days. //// GREAT FIRE OF 1814: Flames consumed 30-odd houses and most of Yorktown's working waterfront on March 3, 1814. //// --Cooter