The King-Quale Elevator Fire

On This Day | Posted by: Tedd Long | 01/03/2026

1894: The Chamber of Commerce Building, on the Southeast corner of Summit Street and Madison Avenue in Downtown Toledo, is destroyed by one of the worst fires in Toledo's history, the "The King-Quale Elevator Fire." Heavy winds drive flames from what is now Promenade Park toward the center of Toledo's business district. Sadly, Toledo Fire Department Captain James Fraser dies fighting the fire. Some say an eventual shift in the wind is the only thing that saved downtown from total destruction.