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1973 Fire Area
There are two elements of disaster that have severely affected Portland's architecture, one of these is flood and the other is fire. The piece "Water Help Fire" was a reaction to the common flooding of the late nineteenth century and to the many fires which occurred in Portland during a fast growth period of the industrial revolution. "Water Help Fire" draws an almost cynical response to the relationship of water and fire. The piece was derived from the most important examples of each disaster; the Great Flood of 1894 and the Great Fire of 1873.
In May 1894 a great flood swallowed Portland's central business district as the Willamette rose by some 30 plus feet covering all 250 blocks of downtown. Buildings, food, merchandise, and people were left to soak for days until the water receded. Just two decades prior to this event, in 1873, the city had been devastated by what was reported to be the worst fire ever to occur in the city. Twenty-two blocks of downtown from Morrison to Clay was caught ablaze from a supposed accidental fire at a Chinese laundry. The fire left about seventeen blocks of South West Portland completely destroyed. The disaster strongly affected the fire and building codes in Portland and within two years all wood frame structures in the area were completely banned.