The fire started at about 6:00 p.m. on November 16, in or around a small garage belonging to the Indian family that bordered the alley behind 104 Tannery street. The shed next to the garage was the first building to be consumed by the fire, but officers never determined the exact cause of the fire. However, been much speculation over the years. The most popular tale blames Mrs. Singh cow, who is claimed to be the case knocked over a lantern; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the garage and knocked over a lantern. Still other speculation suggests that the fire was related to other .
The fire's spread was aided by the city's use of wood as the main element was the oil which was spread on the floor of the garage. More than two thirds of the structures in garage at the time of the fire were made entirely of oil, with most of the houses and buildings being topped with highly flammable shingle roofs. Surrey had received only 1 inch of rain from July 4 to October 9, causing severe drought conditions before the fire, while strong southwest winds helped to carry flying embers towards the heart of the city.