site of 1949 Noronic Disaster (Toronto, Ontario)

Canada / Ontario / Toronto / Toronto, Ontario
 shipwreck, disaster site, draw only border
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On the evening of September 16, 1949, the 'Noronic', a Great Lakes cruise ship carrying 524 passengers, docked at Pier 9.

At 1:30 the next morning a passenger noticed smoke seeping from a locked closet. Crew members fought the fire, but it erupted into a life-threatening inferno before they could waken everyone aboard. Passengers descended the gangway, climbed down ropes, leapt onto the dock, or jumped into the harbour. Firefighters, police and passers-by assisted, but 119 perished.

All but one were American passengers. An inquiry resulted in stricter fire safety enforcement which forced older cruise ships out of service and caused a decline in passenger shipping on the Great Lakes.
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Coordinates:   43°38'28"N   79°22'28"W
This article was last modified 10 years ago