The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 was a fire that destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904.
The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m. by a constable on his regular street patrol. The flames were rising from the elevator shaft of the Currie neck wear factory at 58 Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street. The factory was situated in the centre of a large industrial and commercial area. The exact cause of t...
more
The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 was a fire that destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904.
The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m. by a constable on his regular street patrol. The flames were rising from the elevator shaft of the Currie neck wear factory at 58 Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street. The factory was situated in the centre of a large industrial and commercial area. The exact cause of the fire was never determined, but a faulty heating stove or electrical problem is 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, Ontario and Buffalo (a long term friendship was established between the Queen City of New York and the Queen City of Canada, given their nicknames) came to Toronto's aid. The battle was made more difficult by strong winds and sub-zero temperatures. The...
less
