Non-fiction, Vancouver's firefighting history, 1886 to present-day. On June 13, 1886-just two months after the city of Vancouver was incorporated-a raging fire obliterated the town as a tiny fire brigade tried to fight the wind-whipped blaze with axes, buckets, shovels and ladders. The disaster destroyed almost 1,000 buildings and left more than 2,000 people homeless. The city and the fire department alike had to rebuild. By 1911, the Vancouver Fire Department was rated one of the world's best behind London, England, and Leipzig, Germany. Vancouver's Bravest tells the story of the men (and now women) who helped develop this fire/rescue service into one of North America's finest.