The very next day, Friday, May 10, the "Foehn" gave warning of its coming. The well-known signs did not frighten the people. So on Friday night almost everyone went to bed as usual, except a few who enjoyed staying up late to visit with friends.
Suddenly between nine and ten o'clock at night, they heard the cry of "Fire!" Flames burst forth from the stable. No one knew how or why the fire started in the stable because no one used fire there. Firemen rushed to the stable from all directions. The fire was already burning in three or four places.
The "Foehn" grew stronger, and it drove the flames with the speed of lightning. The firemen stopped the flames from going farther west, but not before the roof of the druggist's house burst into flames. While the firemen stopped the flames on the roof, the fire moved farther and farther north. That was the direction the "Foehn" was blowing.
The fire spread to the roofs of many buildings. The wind carried flaming bits of the burning roofs. New fires started and spread wherever they fell. In half an hour the flames had leaped to hundreds of roofs in the town.
Many men came to the stable to fight the fire. When they saw the fire spread toward their own homes, the men ran back home with fear and despair. Often they arrived just in time to rescue their dear ones. Some saved most of their valuables, but they could not save their homes.
"No human imagination," says a reporter, "can form a picture of that terrible hour. The confusion, noise, and terror are beyond description. Who can paint such a scene?" said the reporter as he watched the dreadful crackling flames. The firemen struggled desperately against the flames as long as possible. At last, for their own safety's sake, they abandoned their engines or pushed them into the stream.
"You can only imagine the noise of the howling storm," the reporter said, "as one listened to the loud cries of the women and children running for safety. Add to this the roaring of the ever growing sea of fire! What a terrifying scene!"
Amid the fury of the storm and the weakness of man, He could and did in His mercy send help. Who is He? He is the God of heaven "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire," PSALMS 104:4. In spite of all this noise, the other villages did not hear the ringing of the fire bell. The glow of the fires lit up Mount Glarnisch all the way to the top. This glow told the nearby villages of the terrible calamity. Not one of these villages had enough fire engines or other means of putting out such a fire. Oh, if they could only get help from Zurich or from the big towns on the lake!
In vain the faithful officer in charge of the telegraph stayed on the job. In spite of the thick smoke and the heat of the fire, he sent many messages begging for help to Schwanden, to Uznach, and to Zurich. No one answered.
In 1861 the Swiss telegraph did not operate at night. Nevertheless, the Glarus operator tried one last time before the flames forced him to leave. He telegraphed his desperate message to Rapperswil. In God's providence the clerk there had stayed late. To his great surprise, he heard the warning on the wire and soon read the terrible words: "Fire! fire! a dreadful fire! help! speedy help!"
The clerk immediately gave the alarm. In a very little while a special train with firemen and fire engines rushed to Glarus. They arrived at daybreak in time to rescue some of those fine buildings on main street.
Shortly after, trains bringing more fire engines and more men arrived from Zurich, Wadenswil, and Sargans. A great battle followed. Human power, skill, and judgment battled on the one side, and the blind fury of nature fought on the other side. The firemen saved the factories which the people of Glarus credited for their living. The firemen put up a barrier which the fire could not pass. The wind calmed, and the fire had nothing more to devour.
On Saturday morning over half of the town of Glarus lay buried in ashes and ruins. A dark smoke hung over the whole village. Now and then one could hear hissing tongues of fire. Four hundred ninety buildings lay in ashes. Most of the public buildings were gone. Three hundred homes had burned. The well-to-do villagers suffered the most; they lost everything As you will remember, the people of Glarus had talked about ending the fire laws the night before the fire started. They had decided to keep the ancient laws, but they placed their faith in their wisdom instead of God's grace and mercy. The people forgot to thank God for His protecting care. That night fire started in the stable even though the stable hands never used fire when they worked.
However, the flames that destroyed Glarus kindled the love spoken of by Jesus in the second great commandment. Jesus said in Matt. 22:39, "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." A wonderful, practical, and generous love glowed in the hearts of the Swiss people toward each other. Help of all kinds streamed to their brothers in distress. Food, clothing, household furniture, tools, and large sums of money came from throughout the whole country. Many of the most wealthy and able men of the land came with advice and help.
The kindness of others provided shelter and the necessary things of life for the homeless. The people spent the whole summer and following winter clearing away the rubbish and litter. They also drew plans for new buildings. The work started as soon as the swallows returned in the spring of 1862. Troops of workmen, masons, and carpenters came to the spot where Glarus had stood. They began to build a finer and larger town on the ashes.