Part Of Queen St. W. Lost To Fire And History By 6-Alarm Inferno

It was, in the truest sense of the word, the reason they coined the term 'inferno'. It's still not clear what caused a spectacular and devastating blaze that razed almost a full block of historic Queen St. W. at Portland St. near Bathurst in Toronto Wednesday morning. But what officials know for certain is that whatever sparked the flames, the raging fire spread quickly and left little behind.

It started sometime around 5am, and went in minutes from three to four alarms, then to five, finally reaching a very unusual sixth stage, leaving Toronto Fire Services asking for help and forcing up to 150 firefighters and at least 30 trucks into the breach, trying to contain flames that consumed everything in their path.

Adding to the difficulty was the extreme cold, as the water used to douse the fire turned into a glaze around everything it touched - including the protective suits of the smoke-eaters themselves. A bitter wind chill made fighting it all the more miserable and helped to spread the flames to adjacent buildings.

Hour after hour they tussled with their glowing enemy, gaining small victories, only to be forced back as the fiery entity surged forward over and over again. At times, crews had to fall back, allowing the conflagration to burn, unable to stop its relentless progress.

Thick and choking black smoke filled the air and was blown across much of the downtown core. It could be seen and smelled for kilometres and even permeated several subway stations for a time.

Many who live in the area got the rudest awakening of their lives, as neighbours and police pounded loudly on doors, screaming for those inside to get out while they could.

And incredibly, they did.

Despite the terrible destruction, no lives were lost and there were no injuries. "First arriving crews had to extricate people from the windows," recalls Fire Chief Bill Stewart.

But what Toronto lost to the massive emergency may be incalculable. Many of the buildings had stood since the 1860s and at least one, Duke's - a renowned family-owned bike store handed down through the generations - had been in the same place for 94 years. It survived two World Wars, the worst weather and Toronto's changing landscape. But it was finally claimed by the flames and nothing could save it. Its walls finally gave way around 7:30am.

"The fire gets so rapid in there and, you know, the building came down. Timbers let go, and the building collapsed," Stewart related as the structures burned behind him in the early morning darkness.

Those who live above the many stores escaped with just the clothes on their backs. Everything else is gone. And with the structures in danger of collapse and being torn down, they'll likely never be able to go back inside and see if anything can be salvaged.

Most have nothing left and nowhere to go back to. Several didn't have insurance.

Mayor David Miller expressed his sympathy on behalf of the entire city. "The thoughts of all Torontonians are with the residents and businesses in the historic area of Queen and Bathurst Streets who lost property in this morning's large fire," he states.

After the worst of the flames were put out by 9:30am, those who loved the charm of the old city were devastated by what had so suddenly turned to ashes before their eyes. "It's a tragedy on so many levels," agrees long time resident Councillor Adam Vaughan. "The Duke's Cycle that had been here for four generations is gone. The building is gone."

As the sun set on the scene hours later, there were still many hot spots burning and crews remained, trying to put them out in the frigid evening cold.

The neighbourhood had just recently been designated as a heritage area. It's a past that has itself now become a reluctant part of history, a fact not lost on Vaughan. "It punches a hole in the heart of Queen St.," he laments sadly.

Cause may remain a mystery for days

Was the smoke dangerous?

Where will the evacuees go?

Local businesses and homeowners left with nothing

Duke's had been there for almost 100 years

Bathurst and Spadina re-open but Queen still closed

Residents forced out after fire, but where will they go?

Fire conjures memories of the day Toronto burned to the ground

CityNews.ca conducted an exclusive interview last week with the manager of Suspect Video as part of a series on the city's top indie video shops. Manager Daniel Hanna lost many collectible and rare films in the inferno, and knows they can never be replaced. He'd been working there for 12 years. "I don't think I fully processed all this yet," he admits. "I'm just absolutely amazed, stunned, dumbfounded. I'm in awe." But he's still managing to keep his sense of humour. "I'd like to announce to Toronto that we've declared a late fee amnesty at Suspect Video on Queen Street."

To see our exclusive story on the now destroyed store, click here.

How Big Is A 6-Alarm Fire?