History: Housing for victims of the Haileybury forest fire in 1922

We’re back in Haileybury in 1922 for our weekly look at history, and the aftereffects of the big forest fire that wiped out hundreds of homes. 

The fire burned on October 4th and 5th. Historian Karen Bachmann tells us it was already snowing on the 5th, so tents weren’t an option for temporary housing. 

“The city of Toronto stepped in and offered some help. And they sent 80 streetcars to Haileybury as emergency housing,” Bachmann narrates. “And initially, the people of Haileybury said ‘Na na, we don’t need that. It’s okay, we’re all going to be fine.’ And then everybody thought ‘No no, we need that.’ Please bring them up.” 

The cars had weatherproof windows and doors, and each one had a stove. 

“Those who were able to secure a car were thrilled,” says Bachmann. “So one man said ‘In my streetcar, I’m going to put in another floor to make it a little warmer. Then we will make the beds at one end, have the kitchen in the centre by the stove and have a living room and a little tiny parlour at the other end.” 

The streetcars were eventually replaced by new houses. One, however, served as a farm shed until the middle 1990s. Now beautifully restored, it’s part of the Haileybury Heritage Museum.