Gaw's Brewery and the Humeston House Hotel in Idaho Springs caught fire. Despite a large crowd trying to help they could find no ladders and the brewery pump failed. The bucket brigade proved futile against the wind and the flames. Both structures burned to the ground. There was no insurance. Gaw and his family re-settled in Leadville, where they built a large and successful brewery. In reaction to this event the townspeople of Idaho Springs established the first organized fire company.