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A leather fire bucket

Photograph of an oval, black leather fire bucket on a white background. The bucket has a crack in it, clearly showing that it is old and worn.

Source: Luc Drolet, private collection

Date: 2018

Photograph by: © Photographie M

Before the advent of fire engines with modern equipment built into them, every resident owned at least one or two buckets. Citizens would form a line and pass the bucket from person to person to get it to the fire.

This type of leather bucket dates from the 18th century and it continued to be used into the 20th century.