Picture Story: The Great Fire of Spokane, which happened 125 years ago this week, gave Spokane Falls what many feared was its "death blow." It destroyed most of downtown, reducing it to a tent city. The property damage was estimated at around $5 million or $6 million, but about half was covered by insurance. The post-fire land was actually worth more than it was before, since many destroyed buildings were old and rickety and had already "outlived their usefulness." At the end of 1889, the city's board of trade estimated that 500 buildings were under construction within the fire limits, mostly "in solid brick or stone, from three to seven stories high."As 1889 drew to a close, it became clear that Spokane Falls had dodged its "death blow." The rickety wood-framed town of 1888 had become the sturdy brick-built city of 1890. Spokane Falls had come of age.