Early on January 20, 1908, Newcastle’s biggest building, the David Cohen warehouse, caught fire. Firemen were called from surrounding districts to come and help quell the blaze, but little could be done. Parts of the building collapsed and damaged their neighbours, including the Shortland Hotel and the library of the Newcastle School of Arts. The fire’s aftermath was extensively photographed and became a popular postcard subject.
A newspaper report of the fire can be read here.
Aftermath of the Cohen warehouse fire 
Morning after the David Cohen warehouse fire in Newcastle, 1908 
Aftermath of the Cohen warehouse fire 
Aftermath of the Cohen warehouse fire 
Aftermath of the Cohen warehouse fire in Newcastle, 1908
