Front page headlines in the night edition of The Toronto Daily Star screamed 200 MAY BE HOMELESS IN APARTMENT BLAZE -- FEAR SOME STILL INSIDE.
On
the morning of February 28, 1951, a fire broke out in the 60-unit
Vaughan Gardens Apartments at 205 Vaughan Road, two blocks north of St.
Clair Avenue.The alarm was received at the York Township Fire Department switchboard at 11:50 a.m., and Pumper #1, Ladder #1 and the Department Car were dispatched. Pumper #2 and Ladder #2 were dispatched three minutes later. Pumper #3 was ordered to fill at at Station 2, but was redirected to the call at 12:00 noon. By 12:23, a pumper and ladder were requested from the Toronto Fire Department. Toronto's "modern 100 foot aerial" is seen in action in the picture above.
The fire fighters worked tirelessly to finally take control of the fire. In the process, one fire fighter injured his wrist, one sufferd burns to his face, two suffered minor eye injuries, and one cut his hand. Worse than this, six fire fighters at the scene complained of pains in the chest, and violent coughing spasms.
Front page headlines in the night edition of The Toronto Daily Star screamed 200 MAY BE HOMELESS IN APARTMENT BLAZE -- FEAR SOME STILL INSIDE.
In fact, the text of newspaper article had to focus on the successful evacuation of the "modern building," rather than report on anyone trapped. Part of the credit for the evacuation went to a six-year old resident, Laird Neville, who reportedly ran up and down the halls screaming "Fire!" at the top of his lungs.
Several neighbours also helped the old, young and infirm get out of the building. Some of the evacuees were still in their night clothes.
The building, which still stands, has a "U" shape, with two wings on either side of a main lobby which joins them. Initial reports concluded that the fire started in this area. However, investigation proved that the fire started in basement lockers, and spread up the stairways and down the long hallways.
The fire was discovered by the caretaker's wife, who tried to fight the fire with a garden hose for twenty minutes before calling the fire department. That delay, along with the lack of proper walls and doors around the lockers, caused the large amount of damage, and difficulty fighting the fire. As a result of this fire, the department required basement doors, and lockers to be in enclosed rooms in future apartment construction.
By
2:30 a.m. on March 1st, the Station #2 crews were back in their hall.
Fairbank crews, who were being covered off by fill-ins from Station 3,
remained on the scene until 7:00 a.m. Crews were dispatched for
"re-kindles" at 3:44 p.m. on March 1st, and at 8:30 a.m. on March 2nd.
With Toronto having to help out at the call, and being asked to run other York calls while 205 Vaughan Road burned, questions once again arose in the Toronto papers about York's ability to give adequate fire protection to the township. The Globe missed The Star's scoop on the day of the fire, so it published a war of words between the Reeve of York and TFD members the next morning.
To read The Star account of the fire, click here.
