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The Great Fire of 1916

Photo by Alan L Brown - July, 2006

Plaque Location

The District of Cochrane
Township of Black River-Matheson
In Matheson, at a picnic area on Highway 11, west of highway 101
N 48 31.991 W 80 27.967

Plaque Text

On July 29, 1916, fires which had been burning for some weeks around settlers' clearings along the Timiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway were united by strong winds into one huge conflagration. Burning easterly along a 64 km front, it largely or completely destroyed the settlements of Porquis Junction, Iroquois Falls, Kelso, Nushka, Matheson, and Ramore. It also partially razed the hamlets of Homer and Monteith, while a smaller fire caused widespread damage in and around Cochrane. The 200,000 ha holocaust took an estimated 223 lives, more than any other forest fire in Canadian history, and led to the development of improved techniques and legislation for the prevention and control of forest fires.

Related Ontario plaque pages
Great Fire of 1922
Porcupine Fire

Related Toronto plaque pages
Great Fire of 1849
Great Toronto Fire

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Disasters

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Posted September 7, 2010
wow that fire waz huge

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