The Great Fire of 1922

Photo by Jamie Toeppner - November 7, 2005

Plaque Location

The District of Temiskaming
The Village of Thornloe
In a roadside park, Highway 11, about 3 km south of the Earlton Overpass, Thornloe

Plaque Text

On October 4, 1922, scattered bush fires which had been burning for some days north of Haileybury were united by strong winds into a holocaust which spread over most of 18 townships and took an estimated 43 lives. Burning out of control between the Englehart and Cobalt areas, it destroyed the communites of North Cobalt, Charlton, Thornloe and Heaslip, while Englehart and New Liskeard were partly consumed. The thriving town of Haileybury was razed except for a few buildings on the shore of Lake Temiskaming. On the night of October 5 the wind dropped and snow and rain helped extinguish the fire. A massive emergency relief programme helped to restore the economy of the area.