In London’s early years, bylaws were passed in an effort to reduce the constant threat of fire They included regulations governing the construction of chimneys, a common source of serious fires at the time. When the first matches were brought to London for sale in 1843, a bylaw was passed requiring them to be stored in outside sheds. A similar bylaw was passed limiting the amount of gunpowder that could be kept inside a store. In addition, there was a bylaw prohibiting cigars and pipes from being smoked in stables and outhouses.
The regulations and accompanying fines were not enough to stop the spread of fire. On February 13, 1839, a fire destroyed four buildings on Dundas Street between Talbot and Ridout Streets. A stovepipe running through the upper floors of a general store was suspected as the cause of the fire. It was the biggest fire to date in London and led to a meeting of ten local business leaders to discuss the formation of a fire insurance company. The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of London provided fire insurance and encouraged the development of fire protection in the local community. After 1840, when London was incorporated as a town, three prominent citizens established a volunteer fire brigade. George Goodhue was president of the local government Simeon Morrill would become London’s first mayor in 1850 and Henry Groves was London’s high constable, the equivalent of police chief.
