On October 25th, 1849, a severe thunderstorm unleashed fury upon Toronto, Canada. Lightning struck the central tower of Toronto's city hall, igniting a fire that led to extensive damage to the building.
The fire at Toronto's city hall prompted discussions about the importance of lightning protection for municipal buildings and historical structures.
In the early 1900s, Canada’s Provincial Fire Marshalls conducted extensive data collection regarding lightning protection system performance. They documented thousands of lightning protection installations and correlated the presence of these systems with their fire data.
Their extensive database, which included thousands of structures and hundreds of fires, demonstrated overwhelmingly that properly installed lightning protection systems effectively prevented fires.
As we step into the month of October, it's worth reflecting that lightning protection systems have come a long way since the 19th century, and their implementation is a vital aspect of safeguarding our cultural heritage.
Photo at right courtesy of Toronto Journey 416.
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