The fire at 142 Elm Street (now Lafayette Street) in SoHo on February 2, 1860, started in a basement bakery and quickly spread, destroying the six-story tenement and damaging nearby structures, including a carpenter shop and a white lead factory. The fire caused $8,000 in damages and resulted in tragic fatalities—a woman and child were found charred near the entrance. This disaster underscored the need for improved fire escapes and building safety regulations.
