The Burning of Washington in 1814 was an incident during the War of 1812 between the forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and those of the United States of America.
On August 24, 1814, after defeating the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, a British force led by Major General Robert Ross occupied Washington City and set fire to many public buildings.
The facilities of the U.S. government, including the White House and U.S. Capitol, were largely destroyed.[4]
The British commander's orders to burn only public buildings and strict discipline among the British troops are credited with preserving the city's private buildings.
The invaders spared private dwellings. This was to be a civilized sacking;
no rapes, no murders, minimal plundering. ''They even spared thePatent Officeafter being persuaded that patents were private property.''
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/01/06/british-burned-capitol-1814/
The British also burned the United States Treasury and other public buildings.
The First U.S. Patent Office Building was saved by the efforts of William Thornton, the former Architect of the Capitol and then the Superintendent of Patents, who gained British cooperation to preserve it.[18][upper-alpha 1]'' "When the smoke cleared from the dreadful attack, the Patent Office was the only Government building . . . left untouched" in Washington.''[19]
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington
As the British troops were preparing to leave, a conversation was noted between the British Admiral and a Washington lady regarding the storm:
The admiral exclaimed, “Great God, Madam! Is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?”
The lady answered, “No, Sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from our city.”
The admiral replied, “Not so Madam. It is rather to aid your enemies in the destruction of your city.”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-tornado-that-saved-washington-33901211/
Less than a day after the attack began, a sudden heavy thunderstorm put out most of the fires.
It also spun off a tornado that passed through the center of the capital, lifting two cannon before dropping them several yards away and killing British troops and American civilians alike.[25]
The storm forced the British troops to return to their ships, many of which were badly damaged;
the occupation of Washington lasted only about 26 hours.
The Royal Navy reported that in the attack, it lost one man killed and six wounded, of whom the fatality and three of the wounded were from the Corps of Colonial Marines.[26]