There were many destructive fires in St. George over the years. This is not surprising when one considers that the majority of the buildings of the time were constructed of wood, that the fire fighting force had relatively primitive equipment to work with, and that that there was a lack of water mains in the village.

During the early morning hours of December 6, 1907, the Grand Trunk Railway Station at Harrisburg was totally destroyed as the result of a coal oil lamp explosion.

One of the most damaging fires was one that broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning on August 3, 1913. This fire destroyed a hotel and several other buildings. The fire which was believed to have been of incendiary origin destroyed almost half of the village of Harrisburg.

In 1962, a fire seriously damaged the Old Methodist Church in St. George.

In 1976, a fire completely destroyed the Lee Paint Factory. All thirty employees managed to escape with their lives from an explosion which leveled the building.