The fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of a four-alarm blaze in northeast Scarborough that severely damaged a historic farmhouse late Saturday.Toronto Fire Services Capt. Randy Piercey said the farmhouse, a small barn and some grass and shrubs on the property at 16 Beare Rd., caught fire around 10:30 p.m.
About 20 Toronto fire trucks as well as a water tanker from Pickering and a water tanker from Markham were at the scene.
"The smoldering was going on for quite some time," said Piercey, noting damage is estimated at $350,000.
There were no injuries reported.
A local resident who identified himself only as Craig said the property was a popular spot for movie shoots.
"It was a beautiful farmhouse, one of the last remaining farmhouses in Toronto," he said. "It's a total shame. There aren't a lot of properties like this left."
The vacant farmhouse, which had been boarded up, is managed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
Scarborough archivist and Mirror columnist Rick Schofield said the property was formerly under the management of the Ontario Reality Corporation, which managed the lands expropriated by the provincial government in the 1970s for the proposed Pickering Airport. He said the property's heritage dates back to 1832 when John Ressor acquired it.
A farmhouse on nearby Steeles Avenue and one on Staines Road were also gutted by fire over the past few years.