Many buildings burnt to the ground because there was no water and no organised fire fighting teams.

In the city, Insurance Companies set up Fire Brigades for the benefit of their insured customers. If your building was not insured, however, it might be left to the burn down.

The Company, Town, Volunteer and Insurance Brigades all worked independently. Where two or more Brigades turned out at a fire, disputes sometimes erupted over matters such as which Brigade should fight the fire, who was in charge, how water should be conserved, who would be paid, etc.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) was commenced in 1891 to unite and co-ordinate all Fire Brigades in the metropolitan area.

By the end of 1891, the newly formed MFB had employed 59 full time and 229 auxiliary fire fighters manning 49 fire stations around the city and metropolitan area.

The number of Firemen and available equipment was again dramatically increased after the Great Fire of Melbourne in 1897.

Some firemen lived at the Fire Station, others lived as close nearby as possible so they could hear the fire alarm bells ring and rush quickly to pull an appliance, or ride on a horse drawn appliance, to the fire. If they could not fit on the appliance they might ride their bike or catch a cab to the fire!!.

As many firemen were married, families also lived at Fire Stations or in nearby Station houses rented by the Brigade.

The first Fire Station built strictly for motorised appliances, ie. no more horses, was the Fitzroy Station, and in the same year, 1918, the last MFB Fire Horse was sold.