The Pacific Fur Company's ship Tonquin was involved in the fur trade and was operating along the west coast of North America. The Tla-o-qui-aht, a Native American group based on Vancouver Island, initiated an assault on the vessel. This confrontation arose due to increasing tensions between European settlers and indigenous peoples over trade and territorial disputes in the early 19th century. After the Tla-o-qui-aht attacked the ship, the remaining crew members of the Tonquin made a fateful decision to destroy their own vessel. This act of desperation was conceived as a means to prevent the Tla-o-qui-aht from securing the ship and its valuable cargo, which included provisions and furs. By detonating the powder magazine, the survivors aimed to protect their interests, albeit at the cost of their own lives and the loss of the ship.

Upon the detonation, the resulting explosion devastated the vessel and inflicted heavy casualties on the Tla-o-qui-aht warriors who were engaged in the attack. Historical records indicate that approximately 100 individuals from the Tla-o-qui-aht were killed in the explosion. This act not only marked a significant loss for the indigenous group but also highlighted the extreme measures that could arise from conflicts driven by competition for resources. It underscored the violent realities of the fur trade era, where skirmishes between competing interests were increasingly common.