The Great Fire of Toronto of 1849 , April 7, 1849, also known as the Cathedral Fire , was the first major fire in the history of Toronto , Ontario , Canada. Much of the Market Block, the business core of the city, was wiped out, including the predecessor of the current St. James Cathedral . The 1831 building of the Toronto City Hall and St. Lawrence Market south of King was damaged and was torn down.
31-430: (Redirected from Great Toronto Fire ) The Great Fire of Toronto or Great Toronto Fire may refer to: Great Fire of Toronto (1849) Great Fire of Toronto (1904) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Great Fire of Toronto . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
62-509: A critical city service and has evolved into the full-time service that exists today. The Toronto Fire Services was created in 1998 from the merger of the former fire departments of the original City of Toronto , East York , Etobicoke , North York , Scarborough and York . It is the largest fire department in Canada and the 5th largest municipal fire department in North America. As part of
93-762: A light utility boat built in 1982 for the Canadian Coast Guard . The Sora was retired from TFS on October 31, 2015, replaced by Fireboat William Thornton . Fireboat William Thornton is a type 400 cutter, built in 1982 for the Canadian Coast Guard, and was acquired by the Toronto Fire Service in 2015. While not part of the fleet, Box 12 (Box 12 Association) and Support 7 (Greater Toronto Multiple Alarm Association) are canteen trucks run by volunteers and are present at large emergencies to provide food and beverages for Toronto firefighters. Formed in 1949,
124-642: A specialized call is dispatched. TFS also has a fleet of various mechanical support trucks. Smaller compact cars bearing the TFS colours and logo are driven by fire prevention officers and other commanding officers. Toronto Fire will also acquire use of a long-range acoustic device . It was one of three purchased by the Toronto Police Service for use during the G20 summit in 2010 (1 for marine unit, 2 for public safety unit). Toronto Fire Services operates and manages both
155-474: Is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada. Fire services in Toronto began in 1874 in the former City of Toronto, and still consisted of volunteer fire companies. Prior to 1874, fire services were composed of poorly trained volunteer companies in the city. The first company was created in 1826 and hook and ladder in 1831. Most were able bodied men who were trained to operate pumps to draw water from
186-643: Is in (1-north, 2-East, 3-South, 4-West). The second digit identifies the District within the Command that the station is in. The last digit identifies the station within the District within the Command that the apparatus is assigned to. A list of types of vehicles used by the TFS: (prefix letter in brackets with "xxx" as the station placeholders) is listed below: The Toronto Fire Department and successor Toronto Fire Services has operated fire boats since 1923. Fireboat Charles A. Reed
217-566: Is presented by the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association to a fire service member for voluntarism. Formed in 1975, the GTMAA vehicle is painted with TFD scheme, but not the logo (using the GTMAA patch instead). In addition, there are various hazardous materials support trucks and a trench rescue support truck that respond to specialized calls. These trucks are unmanned and are only used by trained personnel when
248-730: The Box 12 Association is Toronto's oldest fire canteen unit and serves firefighters in the west end and the downtown core. The unit is named after alarm box #12, which was pulled to trigger the response to the Great Toronto Fire of 1904. This canteen has served in a number of high-profile multiple alarm fires in recent history, including the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto six-alarm fire in 2017. The Box 12 Association celebrated 70 years of continuous volunteer service in 2018, with Mayor John Tory in attendance. Each year, an award named after this canteen
279-459: The TFD and previous fire companies used horse drawn engines and ladders. Prior to the 1970s, the TFD had open air vehicles (driver cab not enclosed and mostly aerial trucks), but since then both the TFD and TFS use fully enclosed cab vehicles. Prior to the 1950s, TFD used tiller-ladder trucks and since have reverted to smaller aerial units that can operate in narrow streets in Toronto. The TFS inherited all
310-503: The block north of King Street is St. James Park. 43°39′03″N 79°22′25″W / 43.6508°N 79.3735°W / 43.6508; -79.3735 Toronto Fire Services Toronto Fire Services ( TFS ), commonly called Toronto Fire , provides fire protection , technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto , Ontario , Canada. Toronto Fire Services
341-489: The city's 2013 Budget plans, the City of Toronto demanded a 10% cut by all city departments. TFS, under then Fire Chief James Sales, recommended vehicle reductions at several stations (Stations 213, 215, 324 and 413) and one station to close (Station 424) to meet the 10% reduction target. As well the cuts will lead to fewer firefighters on staff. In 2014, four pumpers (P213, P215, P413, P424) were taken out of service and Station 424
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#1732855515928372-439: The city, organized into 15 districts. A 16th district (District 12) was disbanded in 2013. Its 4 stations were absorbed into the surrounding districts. Each district is part of one of four geographical divisions of command. There are 4 command areas: north, east, south and west. With the exception of North Division, the other geographic divisions are divided into four districts. Several companies have been disbanded or reassigned over
403-633: The exception of Sales, Toronto Fire Services and Toronto Fire Department chiefs have been promoted within the department's ranks. Peter Ferguson was deputy chief of the North York Fire Department before becoming fire chief of the Toronto Fire Department Toronto Fire Department began using motorized vehicles after 1911. The first motorized pumper was placed in the College St station on October 18, 1911. Before that,
434-488: The fall of 1849. Most of the buildings that burned down were made of wood, so in response, the city changed building codes to prevent future losses of this magnitude. St Lawrence Market (1851) was rebuilt and new buildings like St. Lawrence Hall (1851) and the Cathedral Church of St. James (1853) were built to code. This did not mean an end to future fires, as the year 1904 proved in the city's new core. Today, most of
465-522: The fire trucks were a patchwork of the various schemes used by the former boroughs. All had "Toronto" decaled or painted where the former borough's name used to be and the new Toronto Fire crest was added with the new numbering scheme. Over the past 19 years since amalgamation, the majority of the older vehicles have either been retired or repainted to match the new scheme: fire engine red with yellow reflective trim and markings. The Toronto Fire Services currently operates out of 83 fire stations throughout
496-613: The first fire chief of the amalgamated Toronto Fire Services in November 1997. He served in that post until his retirement in April 2003. Following Speed's retirement, William (Bill) Stewart was appointed fire chief on May 1, 2003, and served until his retirement on April 30, 2012. Jim Sales worked as a political bureaucrat in the Town of Markham and as general manager with the City of Barrie prior to his appointment as Toronto fire chief in 2012. Sales
527-473: The floor collapsed, and he was trapped in the fire. The Upper Canada Gazette , the first newspaper in Ontario, would not resume publication. While the buildings on the main streets were brick, the inner buildings along laneways were made of wood and likely fuelled the fire. The early firefighting companies of the time, mostly made up of volunteers, had limited firefighting capability, and Toronto Fire Department
558-529: The heavy urban search and rescue (HUSAR) team and the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) response team on behalf of the City of Toronto and under contract with the Province of Ontario for provincial deployment as required as CAN-TF3. Prior to amalgamation, the Scarborough Fire Department had their fleet painted yellow. In the years following amalgamation, the markings on
589-599: The lake. A wooden pumper truck presented to Toronto by British America Assurance Company c.1837 is now found at Black Creek Pioneer Village . The city's poor fire fighting services were highlighted by the Great Toronto Fire in 1849 and again in the Great Fire of Toronto in 1904. After the latter fire, which destroyed much of Bay Street from The Esplanade West to Melinda Street, the Fire Department in Toronto became
620-639: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Fire_of_Toronto&oldid=831528003 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Great Fire of Toronto (1849) Before the fire, Toronto's fire-fighting capabilities were limited to six volunteer companies operating in one fire hall at Court Street and Church Street. Manual pumpers and tankers involved far too much manpower and would prove to be no match for
651-536: The north-south back lane east of Church streets. At 3 a.m., the spire of the first St. James Cathedral at Church Street caught fire and the cathedral was soon destroyed. The fire spread to the south side of King Street and the 'old' (1831) Toronto City Hall and market building. It damaged most buildings on the east side of Nelson. At its height, the fire was visible from across Lake Ontario in St. Catharines . The fire could have spread further, but Toronto west of Church Street
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#1732855515928682-556: The outbuildings north to Duke Street. The fire spread through the whole block, destroying the Home District Saving Bank and frame buildings to the east on King Street. At this point, a south-easterly wind had come up. The fire was blown across Nelson Street to Rolf's Tavern and consumed all of the buildings of the Market Block south of Duke Street (Adelaide Street) in the block bounded by King Street East , Nelson , Duke and
713-522: The south side of King Street from major damage. According to The Globe , the fire was mostly extinguished by 5 a.m. The damage was estimated at CA$ 500,000 to $ 700,000, including $ 58,000 to St. James Church alone. The loss to insurance companies was $ 239,724. One life was lost, Richard Watson, publisher of the Canadian and Upper Canada Gazette journals, was in the office of The Patriot newspaper at Nelson and Front, attempting to save printer types, when
744-425: The speed of a major fire. The fire halls existing in Toronto in 1849 were: A second Fireman's Hall at Bay Street had been built in 1839, but it had closed in 1841, some eight years before the fire. The fire was discovered at 1 a.m. in the rear of Graham's Tavern on the north-east side of King Street and Nelson Street (Jarvis Street) at George, behind Post's Tavern. The fire consumed Post's Tavern then burned through
775-403: The vehicles of the fire departments prior to amalgamation. The current strength of TFS consists of 179 vehicles. Since amalgamation, apparatus assignments consist of an alpha-numeric callsign. The alphabetic prefix identifies the type of apparatus. The following three numerical digits identify the station the apparatus is located in. The first digit identifies the division (Command) that the station
806-496: Was approved to support the opening of the new Downsview fire station. The fire chief (C1), as well as the 4 commanding deputy chiefs,(C2, C3, C4, C5), are all based at 4330 Dufferin Street – the central headquarters for both Toronto Fire and Toronto Paramedic Services . There are four division commanders (C6, C7, C8, C9). Each division commander is based in their respective commands – north, east, south and west. Alan F. Speed became
837-552: Was fire chief in Markham from 2000 to 2001 and in Edmonton from 1988 to 2000. Matthew Pegg was appointed as interim fire chief in May 2016, following Sales' departure. Pegg became permanent chief in April 2017. Pegg served as deputy fire chief of Administration prior to being appointed fire chief. Pegg retired October 4, 2024 and will be replaced on interim by Deputy Chief Larry Cocco. With
868-595: Was not formed until 1875. Fire hydrants and water tanks or barrels had been added in 1842 by the Metropolitan Water Company, but they were not enough. None of the buildings within the Market Block (10–15 acres of property) survived, but buildings surrounding the block, such as the Daniel Brooke Building at King and Nelson, were spared. The Toronto City Hall had already been located one block south to Front Street in 1845. Most businesses were rebuilt by
899-404: Was saved by a rain shower at about 3:30 a.m. This wet down the roofs of buildings to the west, making it harder for flying brands to ignite them. The wind was from the north-east, pushing the fire away from the court house, fire hall and St. Andrew's Church west of Church Street. At 4 a.m., troops arrived to assist the firefighters, and it was this assistance that likely saved the buildings on
930-558: Was shut down. In 2017, under Fire Chief Matthew Pegg , the TFS Transformation Plan was developed and introduced, which included a comprehensive Inclusion Plan. An update on the status of the numerous initiatives that are included in this plan was provided as part of the 2018 budget process. In 2018, 10 additional staff were added to support the creation of a permanent Toronto Community Housing Fire Safety Task Force. Also in 2018, one additional crew of 21 Operations Firefighters
961-493: Was the first fireboat operated by the service; it was a wood-hull boat that entered service in 1923 and remained in use until 1964. The service presently has two fireboats in service. Fireboat William Lyon Mackenzie entered service in 1964, replacing Charles A. Reed . Fireboat William Lyon Mackenzie serves as the department's main fireboat and icebreaker. In 2006, the Toronto Fire Services acquired Fireboat Sora ,