peacock hotel toronto

Historic Toronto hotel was just destroyed by fire

One of the city's oldest hotels has just been decimated by a fire, leaving much of it destroyed and in ruins. 

The Peacock Hotel, established in the early 1800s, is of architectural and historic significance, being the site of where William Lyon Mackenzie helped start the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.

Today, a three-alarm fire engulfed the building in the Junction, ripping through the interior and causing a partial collapse. The blaze began around 3:30 a.m. this morning, and took over sixty firefighters to get under control. It was downgraded and extinguished by about 7 a.m.

It is believed that the building was empty, but surrounding buildings were evacuated due to the smoke and heat. 

The Peacock Hotel actually burned down in the 1800s as well, before being rebuilt and given heritage status. Furthermore, it suffered a small wall collapse last year following a fire, too. 

Sections of Dundas West around the site of the fire will be closed for the time being. Honest Weight, a few doors down, has also announced it will be closed temporarily. 

Firefighters and other responders are on-site cleaning up debris. 

Lead photo by

Toronto Fire Service


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