Skip to content

About TFHS
Virtual Museum
Fire Station Patches
Fire Museum Links
Store
Historical Articles
Contact Us

Search for:

About TFHS
Virtual Museum
Fire Station Patches
Fire Museum Links
Store
Historical Articles
Contact Us

Toronto Fire Historical Society

Guardians of Toronto's Fire Service History

Connect with Our Online Archives

We Continue To Document More Items Each Day

Follow Our Historical Timeline

From 1802 until the Present Day

Help Our Ossington Hall Project

Previous

Next

VIEW OUR ARTIFACTS & DOCUMENTS

Eberline Geiger Counter-1950s

1910's - One of the First Badges Issued by Toronto Fire Department

Present Day Toronto Fire Services Patch

The SS Noronic Fire - September 1949

Toronto Fire Dept Book - Grain and Storage Fire 1902

Support the Historical Society by purchasing a challenge coin to add to your collection!

The Orient Trader Fire - July 21st, 1965 (3rd Alarm)

Previous

Next

FEATURED ARTICLE

tofirehistory

Guardians of Fire Service History. Share your Toronto Fire History with us at info@torontofirehistory.com
🇨🇦🚒🔥

This 1949 American LaFrance Type 700 - TFD Rescue

This 1949 American LaFrance Type 700 - TFD Rescue 1 has recently been donated back home to Toronto Fire. Several of Toronto Fire mechanics are forming a volunteer group who will be donating their off-time to work on restoring this historic gem! This Rescue 1 was a front line apparatus until 1963 when it became a spare, and then retired years later and sold at auction. Stay tuned as we highlight this restoration project!

73 Years ago today, the most horrific marine fire

73 Years ago today, the most horrific marine fire in Toronto’s history happened. SS Noronic was launched June 2, 1913, in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada. She was built by the Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company for the Northern Navigation Company. On September 14, 1949, Noronic embarked on a seven-day pleasure cruise of Lake Ontario from Detroit, Michigan. Noronic docked for the night at Pier 9 in Toronto Harbour at 7:00 p.m. on September 16. At 2:30 a.m., passenger Don Church noticed smoke in the aft part of the starboard corridor on C-deck. Church followed the smell of smoke to a small room off the port corridor, just forward of a women's washroom. Finding that the smoke was coming from a locked linen closet, Church notified bellboy Earnest O'Neil of the fire. Without sounding the alarm, O'Neil ran to the steward’s office on D-deck to retrieve the keys to the closet. Once the closet was opened, the fire exploded into the hallway; it spread quickly, fuelled by the lemon-oil-polished wood panelling on the walls. The death toll from the Noronic disaster was never precisely determined. Estimates ranges anywhere from 118 to 139 deaths. Most died from either suffocation or burns. Some died from being trampled or from leaping off the upper decks onto the pier. Only one person drowned. To the anger of many, all 118 of those initially killed were passengers. (One crew member, Louisa Dustin, later died of her injuries; she was the only Canadian victim, and the 119th fatality. Damage suits for Noronic were settled for just over $2 million. Noronic's whistle was displayed in a nautical museum on Toronto's Waterfront. #toronto #torontofirehistory #ssnoronic #marinefire #shipfire #torontohistory #torontofire

21 Years ago today. We will always the remember t

21 Years ago today. We will always the remember the sacrifice so many made on this day. #neverforget #fdny #nypd #nyc

Instagram post 17873592023685855

Instagram post 17873592023685855

Join us at the @onfirechiefs this coming weekend.

Join us at the @onfirechiefs this coming weekend. Check out our Historical display, and antique truck! Lots of great things going from many vendors and suppliers. Follow the link in the comments below for free tickets #oafc #firechief

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fir

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fire 1904 in Toronto

The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m., on April 19, 1904, by a Toronto Police constable on his regular street patrol. The flames were rising from the elevator shaft of the E & S Currie Limited's neck wear factory at 58 Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street (now TD Bank Tower).
The fire destroyed more than 100 buildings. Damage on Wellington Street West and Yonge Street was limited because one of the buildings, the Kilgour Brothers factory, had a sprinkler system fed by water tanks on the roof, preventing the fire from spreading in that direction.

Call Box 12, which was used to sound the alarm, is the name for the volunteer canteen truck supporting Toronto Fire Services today. (The Globe 1904 Newspaper, recently discovered and now in the Toronto Fire Historical Society Archives 🗄) #tofirehistory #cityofto #cityoftoronto #torontohistory #torontofiredepartment #tpffa

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fir

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fire 1904 in Toronto

The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m., on April 19, 1904, by a Toronto Police constable on his regular street patrol. The flames were rising from the elevator shaft of the E & S Currie Limited's neck wear factory at 58 Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street (now TD Bank Tower).
The fire destroyed more than 100 buildings. Damage on Wellington Street West and Yonge Street was limited because one of the buildings, the Kilgour Brothers factory, had a sprinkler system fed by water tanks on the roof, preventing the fire from spreading in that direction.

Call Box 12, which was used to sound the alarm, is the name for the volunteer canteen truck supporting Toronto Fire Services today. (The Globe 1904 Newspaper, recently discovered and now in the Toronto Fire Historical Society Archives 🗄) #tofirehistory #cityofto #cityoftoronto #torontohistory #torontofiredepartment #tpffa

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fir

Today marks the 118th anniversary of The Great Fire 1904 in Toronto

The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m., on April 19, 1904, by a Toronto Police constable on his regular street patrol. The flames were rising from the elevator shaft of the E & S Currie Limited's neck wear factory at 58 Wellington Street West, just west of Bay Street (now TD Bank Tower).
The fire destroyed more than 100 buildings. Damage on Wellington Street West and Yonge Street was limited because one of the buildings, the Kilgour Brothers factory, had a sprinkler system fed by water tanks on the roof, preventing the fire from spreading in that direction.

Call Box 12, which was used to sound the alarm, is the name for the volunteer canteen truck supporting Toronto Fire Services today. (The Globe 1904 Newspaper, recently discovered and now in the Toronto Fire Historical Society Archives 🗄) #tofirehistory #cityofto #cityoftoronto #torontohistory #torontofiredepartment #tpffa

Truck Feature - This 1987 Mack/Superior, which wen

Truck Feature - This 1987 Mack/Superior, which went in to service September 8th, 1987, served as the last Pumper 9 at Toronto Fire Department No 2 Hall, and was moved to 339 Queens Quay West at the new fireboat hall which was built in 2000. Now serving as Pump 334.
.
.
.
.
.
from Gary Wignall’s collection.
#tofire #torontofirehistory #torontofire #torontofiredepartment #torontofireservices #historyoftoronto

Load More Follow on Instagram

A Special Thanks To The Toronto Professional Firefighters Association For Their Continued Support