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.
Despite the terrible destruction, no lives were lost and there were no injuries.
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. 
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.
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.
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.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.
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