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On November 4, 1910 the largest fire in Brandon's history takes place as the Brandon Asylum for the Insane burns.  
 
The entire fire department, members of militia, townspeople and hospital staff all worked for hours to battle the flames and rescue patients.  
 
Incredibly, over 700 patients and staff were rescued safely. The lone casualty was a woman who wandered away from the group and died of exposure.  
 
There is a great essay on the fire including pictures of the devastation at the Manitoba Historical Society website:  
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/21/brandonasylumfire.shtml  
 
Last year I posted about the modern day complex, with some photos of the grounds:  
http://westenddumplings.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-love-manitoba-14-old-brandon-mental.html  
 
Edited by mrchristian, 2010-11-04 01:32:35