When a fire broke out at premises at the Merchants Exchange at the Pier Head Cardiff, on 18th November 1892, over £60,000 worth of damage was done to the buildings and stocks. Luckily only the caretaker and night-watchman was present, although one woman was rescued by portable fire escape.
Thousands of people came to see the spectacle. However the fire caused no fatalities in itself, but one boy, William Cahill, aged 8, from Madras Street, Canton, was accidentally run over by a fire engine and later died from his injuries. His parents were Peter and Mary Cahill, a bootmaker. William was buried at Cathays Cemetery in grave D1047 on 23rd November.