The Matheson Fire

On July 30, 1916, high winds blowing through the forests of Northern Ontario turned a small fire into an inferno that destroyed nearly 800 square miles of forest. The settler towns of Matheson, Cochrane and Nushka Station were no match for a wall of flame that leveled villages in minutes. The death toll reached an unheard of 223, although the actual number was probably much higher. The fire led to the passage of tougher fire safety laws for northern Ontario.