 In 1874 the town improved the plans for its structure after it became a government requirement.Umeå had already started making these changes when on 25 June 1888, a fire devastated the eastern parts of Umeå and at least 2,300 of the 3,000 inhabitants became homeless.In the restoration following the fire, almost 3,000 silver birch trees were planted along wide avenues to prevent future fires from spreading.