At approximately two thirty on the morning of Monday, September 8th, 1879, a fire broke out in Ross's Buildings in the Octagon. This multi storied structure was built between the Athenaeum and Stuart Street and stood where the Regent Theatre is situated today. It housed some business offices as well as the 'Café Chantant' on the ground floor, the kitchen of which was originally suspected as being the source of the fire. The upper floors had rooms of mixed purpose and the third floor was made over to sleeping quarters of one sort or another.

Emergency services were somewhat delayed by a shortage of available horses to pull the appliance, and by the time the fire brigade arrived the building was well alight. Access to and from the upper floors was impossible as there were no fire escapes as we know them today and The Brigade were further hampered by obstacles in the right of way as they tried to approach the seat of the fire from the rear of the building. Once they had accomplished this manoeuvre it was discovered that there was insufficient water pressure to direct the hose onto the top floor. A large number of the boarders sleeping on the third floor were stumbling about in a confused fashion until they broke into a room which was used to dry clothes. Ropes which had been used as washing lines were now tied to a bed end affording escape for some of these enterprising people.

There were forty five people on the premises, some never woke and were burned to death like George Martin and a family of six, and others succumbed during their frantic efforts to escape the flames.

Several of the residents were persuaded to jump to the street below and these actions mostly resulted in death and serious injury. Amongst those killed was John Taylor who leapt from his room on the top floor.

Martin and Taylor were later buried in the Northern Cemetery.

The cause of the fire was later suggested as coming from the smoking room or a toilet where the exposed flame of a candle may have set light to flammable material.

The authorities charged the cafe' owner, William Walters, with murder then with arson but he was eventually discharged. The building was rebuilt in 1880.

Today the former site of the Ross's building is home to the Regent Theatre. After several old buildings were removed, construction began on the Regent Theatre in 1927. It was modelled on the Regent Theatre in New York and took about 7 months to complete. The Regent Theatre celebrated its 75th anniversary in October 2003.