February 20, 2008
Massive Fire Guts Queen West Block
Photo by aardvark from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Transit vehicles are being diverted and streets have been closed near Queen and Bathurst as firefighters battle a six-alarm blaze this morning. The fire broke out about 5 a.m. and spread through eight low-rise buildings on the south side of Queen, consisting of fourteen addresses between Bathurst and Portland. The destroyed block contained commercial properties Suspect Video, Duke's Cycle, National Sound, Preloved, the Jupiter head shop, Room+ Furniture and Accessories, Pizzaiolo, and Organize By Design. Second and third floor apartments have also been wiped-out. All residents were safely evacuated.
About fifty emergency vehicles and 150 firefighters are reported at the area. One building housing Duke's Cycle collapsed at about 7:30 a.m., and CTV News reported from their helicopter that the brick wall of the adjacent building was leaning and could be on the verge of collapse. Three people were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but no other injuries have been reported. Emergency workers told some bystanders that it seems the fire originated in the National Sound building at 615 Queen Street West.
Fire crews are slated to be present on-scene for most of the day. Early reports say the fire may have started in a rear shed, though a cause has yet to be established and it will take at least a week for authorities to poke through the rubble for a definitive answer. Officials say that the damage could reach $10 million.
A reception centre for displaced residents was established today at the Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre, and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel is offering ten rooms at no cost over the next two nights. The Salvation Army is helping out with food and replacement clothing, and nearby patisserie Clafouti donated food to the reception centre.
The Star has an updated map showing traffic and transit disruptions.
Continue reading to see more photos from the Torontoist Flickr Pool, and don't miss our exclusive images by Miles Storey.
This post was last updated at 10:00 p.m.
Photos by xarq.
Photos by JL1967.
Photos by drpitch.
Photo by Kevin Steele.
Photos by Martinho.
Photo by Tom Purves.
Photo by Dylan Passmore.
Photos by arcticlamb.
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I just heard on the radio that Duke Cycle is gone. I bought my bike there nearly 20 years ago and still ride it regularly. Gary Duke sold me my bike and gave me a great deal because he was friends with my sister (who also bought her bike there). Maybe it won't be so bad after all the flames are doused. I hope everyone is okay and they can recover back to normal.
My friend just bought a helmet at dukes a few months ago. Its very sad and scary that these places that are landmarks for some of us , Suspect video and Dukes have been damaged and even destroyed.
I hope that these places and the people whose lives are enshrined in them are able to recover.
For the time being though I hope that everyone gets through the day safe and everyone takes the delays in traffic and transit in stride and look out for eachother.
Yep Duke's is gone. The building collapsed. There were bricks halfway across Queen. Suspect is also totally gone. Everything on the North side is fine.
I live right across the street from all this. My cat woke me up because the power was out. It is quite a scene down there.
Could somebody post updates? I work just South of Richmond on Bathurst and that entire area is out of power. Nobody has any idea how long it might take to have it back on. I wonder who I might call...
Anybody know if this has hit buildings on Richmond St.?
I live at King and Bathurst, and when I left my apartment this morning to catch the streetcar, I kept thinking "Is someone bbq-ing??"
I can't believe how far the smoke plumes are reaching in that first photo. Insane.
I was having problems visualizing what was in that block (Portland --> Bathurst), so I checked it out on Virtual City. Of course, seeing it as it was just made me more sad.
Richmond Street is fine, the fire hasn't spread across the alleyway behind Suspect and Dukes.
Thanks for specifying that the fire was on the south side. I was confused with Suspect Video and Queen Video and was worried about a friend that lives just there. He lives on the north side, though.
the first photo is incredible.
anyone know if Cosmos records is okay?
Any early word on what is going to be done to help out the people who lost homes and businesses? My little brother lost his place at the big Wellington Hotel fire in Barrie. The community there was amazing at helping everyone get back on their feet. I'd love a chance to return the favour.
The fantastic Alexander Tailors closed last year on that block. Sad to see him go, but glad he wasn't part of the fire.
Home Depot is due to go in on top of the parking lot, if they build anywhere on the site of the fire or take advantage of this in any way I'll be very angry. I was quite sad to see this happen.
sisandford -
I was thinking the same thing...will be interesting to watch, but for now, hope everyone up there is ok. Looks brutal. Not too mention that it's freezing outside.
I realllllly hope the tenants above the stores had contents insurance—I'm always shocked at the amount of people who don't, especially considering how inexpensive personal insurance is. If you don't, call today, people.
I know Gary (neighbor) and got my bike at Duke's 3 years or so ago, this sucks. It was in the family for close to a century. I was planning on getting a new bike this summer. I sincerely hope they can recover from this, although it could take a long while to even get a storefront again and much of the loss was the building that's been around for so long.
How much is it approximately, Marc?
What the hell?? Home Depot? Why is this the first I'm hearing of it??
Ben (re: insurance): It generally depends on how much you're covering and what type of building you live in, but it really is cheap—for most apartment dwellers, probably about $15-30/month. If you live in a building with 24-hour security, fire doors, cameras, and don't have a dog from their "aggressive" breed list, it gets cheaper, and if you don't make a claim for a certain amount of time, often they'll lower it even more. Call around for quotes, and note that this kind of insurance also covers personal liability, like if your cat scratches up someone else's luxury car seats or something.
Your landlord has a separate insurance that covers the actual structure you live in, but tenant's/content insurance covers everything inside those walls, as well as stuff like if you forget to turn off the bathtub tap and it leaks into an apartment below. Better than being sued and bankrupted.
As infuriating as insurance companies are, not having insurance for yourself/home is verrrrrrry dangerous, so please call and get it, everyone!
"I realllllly hope the tenants above the stores had contents insurance"
I have a friend who used to live in the place above the blue flags in the fourth pic, she literally couldn't get insurance on her place (at least with a normal insurer) because they said it was too much of a fire trap.
Man, spooky....
What a sad situation. Unfortunate for the businesses, for the people who lived there, and for Toronto. The block had such wonderful character. I can't imagine Home Depot not taking advantage of this situation.
Marc: Good idea on the renters insurance, I got it this year.
#21: That does suck. Charging more is one thing, but refusing...geez.
Home Depot: Can we try to remember this day and then see what happens? And if, suddenly, a Home depot appears in this spot...then you have your answer.
Nothing would surprise me.
This is a different site (though neighbouring) than the Home Depot is slated for, and to get it, they'd have to redo all the planning and zoning process over a long period of time and look at purchasing each of the properties, so it's not likely.
Anybody know if this is on the north or south side of the queen street? News is only reporting it as the corner of queen and portland.
oops my bad, south side
Yeah I just got into work at the 401 building and we're all fine here but the entire building smells like smoke. That was one hell of a smoke plume.
As someone who used to live at Queen and Bathurst, but on the west side of Bathurst, I can tell you, Marc, that contents insurance is in fact not cheap at all. I tried to apply for it from my bank and several other insurance companies, and b/c I lived at a so-called "high-risk area", they said the minimum I could be paying would be in the $2,000-$3,5000 zone per year. It was also so high because I was living next to a restaurant, not above. Just for clarity's sake, this was a second-floor walk-up above a retailer, which was located next to a resto on the south side of Queen, just a block or so from Bathurst.
I was disgusted, since the insurance companies, despite the high cost, basically also told me I should move out of the area if I wanted to be safe. It's an unfortunate situation, and I only hope, too, that those who lost their apartments today had managed to afford some sort of insurance.
Preloved owner Julia Grieve said they lost their entire one-of-a-kind spring collection. I peripherally knew an artist who lost all of his paintings in a fire years ago, and I can't even imagine what that must be like for things that are so irreplaceable.
I bet the Home Depot plans are on immediate hold as they figure out if they can swallow up some/the rest of the block...
Does anyone have a link to the current proposed look of the Home Depot project? I seem to recall seeing some drawings in the papers - and they were underwhelming - did not fit at all with the neighbourhood.
for some it's instant homelessness.
I had contents and liability insurance for years just a few blocks from there (near 999) and it was just over $400/yr.
$2000-3000/yr sounds more like homeowners insurance (I'm a homeowner now and pay less than that).
I was probably the only one of many who had tenants' ins. but at the price it was stupid not too.
...am very sad about Suspect and Dukes. That takes me back. I hope you keep Home Despot at bay.
What a tragedy. This has always been one of the more dynamic parts of Queen Street, it always seemed to keep its character even as the rest of Queen Street whipped past towards gentrification.
I think its more a coincidence that Home Depot is moving in next door, but this fire along with that development will surely mean the end of Queen and Bathurst as we know it today. Developers will rebuild the area with 1/10th the character it had last night.
My best wishes go out to the Duke's, please rebuild. Its a shame to lose such an institution.
According to the Star, the family that owns Duke's (est. 1914) has already pledged that they will rebuild.
Far be it from me to stick up for a big corporation, but let's get real. Home Depot is not run by Monty Burns. Most big corps are as aware of their public image as they are of the bottom line and don't want to be accused of skullduggery anymore than anyone else does. It's bad optics. They'd realize how terrible it would look if they tried to take over the destroyed properties, especially when one considers the opposition to their existing plans.
And, as Marc says, the planning and zoning would take forever, especially if the circumstances of the fire are deemed suspicious.
About this Home Depot, okay it's been bugging me for months and my spidey sense says this fire will be taken advantage of. Shame of Adam Vaughan for letting the monstrosity (glass tower) go through. What a way to kill your own riding. We don't need it! The little family with the hardware store by the beer store has done me fine for years. I encourage all to make a complaint with Vaughan even though I suspect by now it's a done deal. So sad. Good news about Dukes reopening. I hope that the city will recognize the character of the strip and try to restore or rebuild with the same architectural style.
The presence of a Home Depot is not as scary as it seems since area-appropriateness is allegedly being taken into account. It's not going to be a giant grey and orange box like it is in the suburbs.
In the late 80s/early 90s there was a huge fire like that in the Byward Market in Ottawa. It was eventually rebuilt to look similar to how it had been before the fire - they rebuilt the brick and kept them the same height. Hopefully the same can be done in this area.
Didn't know Dukes had been there for so long.
Beautiful photos though, but shame about the businesses & people living there.
Good find Marc.
The Heritage Designation that was placed on Queen Street will be put to its test with the Portland to Bathurst Area. I may be cynical, but I wouldn't put too much trust in that Artist rendering. So much of a buildings character is the materials it is built with and the small touches, it looks great now but in 3 years I doubt it will look anywhere similar.
As for the zoning, wouldn't Home Depot simply be considered commercial? I mean the suburban stores have big box designation, but hypothetically this new store could mean a new designation. Unlikely, but possible Home Depot could creep further west towards Bathurst...
I'll post this here like I did on BlogTO.
So, it is simply ridiculous or beyond a possibility that a corporation could do this?
See, I'm amazed when people rush to defend corporations, you would get no such help from them.
Unless of course, you'd like to open up a charge account and pay for it...with hidden fees and interest...of course. Now, I'm not saying that's the case, but it is a possibility, and yes, people want answers when people's homes and businesses are destroyed because these things seem to get "swept under the rug and forgotten".
Let's say hypothetically that this was arson...could your neighborhood be next?
I think that arson is a definite possibility. I would like to hope that Home Depot is not that aggressive, they would have burnt down Maple Leaf Gardens if that were the case.
I can't help but wonder if maybe there isn't some landowner who could in the long run benefit from this though. Maybe someone was stuck in a some long term leases and wanted out of them so (s)he could sell, who knows?
I just really hope that wasn't the case.
I very highly doubt that an established international commercial corporation is going to organize to ruin a bunch of people's lives (and potentially kill them) in order to free up a small amount of real-estate beside their already-planned store. Well, at least not in this country.
I heard a second building has collapsed. Does anyone know more?
Based on the comments above, perhaps your insurer knows.
I'm just tossing it out there. You're right though Marc, I would be dissappointed if it happened up their in Canada...in the US I would expect it more.
But then, I hold Canada to higher standards because I think you are better than us.: - )
Aw shucks, that's sweet.
Don't worry though - we're aspiring to your standards.
Way to go WannaBinToranna, While I'm loathe to believe the 'arson' card, I'm glad someone is with me on the corporatization of Queen St. The concept sketch is another glass box in my book. There's a reason why Queen West has character and it it's not due to a brand name. If I want to go to a Home Depot I'll go to a mall. I'm tired of seeing small businesses (some of my friends) closing down because the landlord jacks the price in the hopes of attracting some big corporate buyer. Home Depot spells more of that. There's been a whole spate of business closures on Queen lately and more rumoured. The fire is just another kick in the teeth.
i grabbed this info from the citytv website just incase anyone wanted a detailed list.
very very sad indeed.
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Among the businesses lost or affected by the flames:
Preloved, a used clothing store,
Juniper, a head shop,
Suspect Video, which was profiled earlier this week by CityNews.ca
Duke's Cycle, the famous bicycle store,
National Sound, which has stood for more than 50 years at the location.
Furniture Room,
Pizzalolo,
Old Times Antiques,
Cosmos Records and
Nikolaou Restaurant Supply.
CHECK THIS LINK OUT.....
http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2712
I may be jumping to conclusions but it seems a bit coincidental that this proposed condo is being planned for the area and it exceeds the limits of the parking lot that is currently there. Something stinks here, and it's not only the smoke. I my opinion, this is not what Queen Street needs. What makes it special, or at least what has made it special is that you can deal with smaller businesses run by local people, places like Duke Cycle and Suspect video or any of the shops on this strip destoryed by the fire. Now it is being polluted more and more by big box type stores. Who really wants Suspect video replaced by a shiny new H&M or Gap store? Not me, but I suppose that's progress for some.