Great Fire of 1849 in Toronto: Area, Losses and Aftermath

The Great Fire of Toronto began around 1 a.m. on April 7, 1849, behind a tavern at King and Nelson streets (now Jarvis Street). It spread across about six blocks, destroyed the first St. James Cathedral and much of the old market district, and killed one man. Toronto rebuilt in months, but the city’s volunteer fire service collapsed afterward. A far larger fire followed in 1904, covered in a separate article.

What happened on April 7, 1849

Toronto’s first great urban fire started in the early hours of Saturday, April 7, 1849. By morning it had wrecked the commercial heart of a city of roughly 24,000 people. It took the first St. James Cathedral, two newspaper offices, shops, taverns and homes along King Street and the streets around the old market.

The city was poorly equipped for the night. According to TVOtoday’s account by historian Jamie Bradburn, Toronto had six volunteer fire companies and four engines. Half of those engines dated from the mid-1820s and were in poor condition. Many buildings near King Street were of wood, and the water supply failed once the flames moved west of Nelson Street.

The fire is sometimes called the first major fire in the city’s history. St. James had itself burned once before, in January 1839, and was rebuilt.

Where it started and how it spread

The fire was discovered at about 1 a.m. in outbuildings or a stable behind Graham’s Tavern, at the corner of King and Nelson streets. Nelson Street is today’s Jarvis Street. Accounts differ on the exact building. The cause was never established. Contemporaries suspected careless smoking or an unattended lantern.

A south-easterly wind pushed the flames across Nelson Street to neighbouring taverns and shops, then west along King. At its height, between roughly 3:30 and 4 a.m., the fire covered about six blocks. A short rain shower, wind that drove flames toward the cemetery rather than more buildings, and the arrival of troops from Fort York around 4 a.m. helped bring it under control. By 5 a.m. it was largely out.

The Fort York garrison is part of the story of the city’s early defences, told in our article on Fort York.

What was lost

Spacing magazine describes the damage as the whole north side of King Street between Church and Jarvis streets. That stretch included the cathedral and a hardware store owned by T. D. Harris. The fire also took a bank, several taverns, retail premises, and the offices of two newspapers, including The Patriot.

One person died. Richard Watson, a former publisher of the Upper Canada Gazette, was killed at the Patriot office while helping save material. Charles Donlevy, who owned the Mirror, broke a leg jumping from a roof.

Money estimates are uncertain. A Wikipedia summary of contemporary newspaper reports gives a loss between about $500,000 and $700,000, but the figure is not firm. TVOtoday notes that insurers were not ruined by the fire, so claims were settled quickly. That helped owners rebuild within months.

St. James Cathedral

The church on King Street had stood since 1833. It was rebuilt after the January 1839 fire and reopened in December of that year. On April 7, 1849, a burning shingle ignited the tower at about 3 a.m. The roof fell in roughly an hour later. The congregation saved the organ and the parish library.

The parish held an architectural competition for the replacement. Wikipedia reports eleven entries from Canada and the United States, with the Gothic Revival design of Frederic Cumberland and Thomas Ridout placed first. Cumberland’s wider work is covered in his biography. Construction began on July 1, 1850, and Bishop John Strachan laid the cornerstone on November 20, 1850. The first service in the new church took place in June 1853. The tower and spire were finished in the 1870s, and sources differ on whether the last work ended in 1874 or 1875.

The market block and the question of a second fire

The fire also reached the market area south of King Street. The 1831 market and city hall building was damaged. Toronto’s council had already moved to a building on Front Street in 1845, so the loss did not stop city government. Sources disagree on how much of the old market was destroyed, but all agree that the damaged building came down. TVOtoday reports that by June 1849 the remainder was razed.

A new market and the St. Lawrence Market complex followed in the early 1850s, together with St. Lawrence Hall, designed by William Thomas. Sources give 1850 or 1851 for the completion of the market building.

Some retellings describe a separate fire at the market later in 1849. None of the sources used for this article documents one. The market damage belongs to the April 7 fire, and a reader who has a dated record of another market fire should check it against the Toronto Public Library or City of Toronto Archives before repeating it.

Aftermath for firefighters and builders

The fire destroyed the volunteer fire service as much as it destroyed buildings. Firefighters complained to Mayor George Gurnett about public apathy, and nearly all of them resigned. TVOtoday says the city had no effective fire service for the rest of the year. Council later formed new companies, but most firefighters were not paid professionals until the 1870s. Mayoral history is gathered in our article on mayors and elections.

Building rules changed slowly. Councillors took months to revise the building regulations. Insurers moved faster and, within about a month, refused to cover new wooden buildings in the burned area. Rebuilding ran along new lines. Spacing notes that brick and stone terraces replaced the earlier wooden shops east of the church, built to a uniform design although each unit had a separate owner.

Most businesses were back in operation by the fall of 1849.

How 1849 compares with 1904

The 1849 fire hit the commercial centre of a small city and was fought with hand-pumped equipment. The fire of April 19, 1904, burned an industrial and warehouse district. It led to a high-pressure water system for the downtown. The later event is explained in The Great Fire That Devastated Toronto in 1904.

Today the cathedral still stands on King Street East, and, according to Wikipedia, most of the block north of King Street that burned is now St. James Park.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Great Fire of Toronto in 1849?

It started at about 1 a.m. on April 7, 1849, and was largely out by 5 a.m. the same morning.

How many people died in the 1849 fire?

One death is recorded. Richard Watson, a former publisher of the Upper Canada Gazette, died at the Patriot newspaper office during the fire.

Did the fire destroy St. James Cathedral?

Yes. The first St. James Cathedral caught fire around 3 a.m. and was destroyed. The present Gothic Revival building began in 1850 and held its first service in June 1853.

What caused the 1849 fire?

The cause is not known. It started in outbuildings behind Graham’s Tavern, and careless smoking or a lantern were suspected at the time.

Was there a second fire in 1849?

The sources checked for this article describe only the April 7 fire. Damage to the market and old city hall building came from that fire, not from a later one.

Sources

TVOtoday, Jamie Bradburn, “How the Great Fire of 1849 reshaped Toronto” (2024)
Spacing magazine, “Opening up the past,” issue 14
Wikipedia, “Great Fire of Toronto (1849)” (accessed October 2026; used for the loss estimate and the market block, hedged in the text)
Wikipedia, “Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto)” (accessed October 2026; used for the architectural competition and cornerstone date, hedged in the text)
Wikipedia, “St. Lawrence Market” (accessed October 2026)

Last verified: November 2026

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APA: History of Toronto. (2026, November 1). The Great Fire of 1849 in Toronto: What Burned and What Followed. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/great-fire-of-1849-toronto

MLA: “The Great Fire of 1849 in Toronto: What Burned and What Followed.” History of Toronto, 1 Nov 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/great-fire-of-1849-toronto. Accessed .

Chicago: History of Toronto. “The Great Fire of 1849 in Toronto: What Burned and What Followed.” Last modified November 1, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/great-fire-of-1849-toronto.

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