toronto fire

Toronto waterfront up in flames as fire breaks out at Amsterdam Brewhouse

A fire erupted in Toronto's Harbourfront neighbourhood Thursday evening, shooting giant plumes of flames and smoke that prompted many with a lakefront view to wonder what the heck was going on along the water's edge.

Based on videos and photos from the scene, the inferno appears to be on the property of Amsterdam Brewhouse, a bustling brewery and landmark with an expansive restaurant space, outdoor patio and bottle shop.

In footage taken just before 9 p.m., the establishment's side patio could be seen burning up against the night sky, with crowds of locals forming outside to watch in shock as fire crews battled the blaze.

As of 9:20 p.m., Toronto Police Operations has not tweeted anything about the incident, nor has Toronto Fire.

Residents are definitely noticing and waiting on updates, though, as the emergency continues.

According to Amsterdam's standard hours, both the retail storefront and restaurant are still open, meaning that the 14,000-square-foot space was likely packed with people enjoying a Thursday night out when the fire started.

This marks just another in a string of fires in the city over just a few days, following one at a North York construction site Tuesday night, one on Queen St. W near Bathurst in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and one at a Scarborough highrise just a few hours later.

This is a developing story.

Lead photo by

Sarah Peslar


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