1904 Toronto fire

The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 was a fire that destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto, Canada on April 19, 1904.

The fire began at the C. & S. Currie neckwear factory on Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street, in the center of a large industrial and commercial area. The exact cause of the fire is still not known, but a faulty heating stove or electrical problem are suspected.

The fire began on the evening of the 19th and took nine hours to get under control. The glow of the fire could be seen for kilometres in all directions. Firefighters from cities as far away as Hamilton and Buffalo came to Toronto's aid.The battle was not aided by strong winds and sub-zero temperatures.

The fire destroyed 104 buildings, but killed no one. It did millions of dollars in damage and put five thousand people out of work, when the city only had 200,000 inhabitants. As a result of the more stringent safety laws were introduced and an expansion of the city's fire department was undertaken.

External link

Pictures of the fire's aftermath on the City of Toronto Archives site