He was mortally wounded by a falling wall on November 22, 1848, suffering a severely fractured skull and other injuries. He died of his injuries two days later.
Thornton, only 22 at the time of his death, was a volunteer with No. 1 Hook and Ladder Company, as were all his fellow firefighters, with the exception of the Chief Engineer.[1]
He worked as a teamster, and supported his mother and two sisters. In a profile of Thornton, in the Torontoist, Kevin Plummer remarked that "Little is known of Thornton.". He described how former firefighter Robert Kirkpatrick, author of Their last alarm, a book about firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty in Ontario, was shocked to learn that Thornton had been buried in an unmarked grave. Kirkpatrick researched the approximate location of Thornton's grave and firefighters dedicated a monument to him in 2003.[5][6]
Thornton was inside a burning office building near the southeast corner of Church and King streets, where he was hit by falling masonry.[1][5]
Plummer noted that Thornton was brought to the fire hall for treatment by Dr. Walter Telfer, who cleaned his wounds and treated him with a phlebotomy—bleeding. Plummer reported that, according to The Globe and Mail {{sic}}
"About two inches square of the skull was driven into the brain,". After his phlebotomy Telfer "sent him home to recuperate."In June 2015 a recommendation was made to Toronto City Council that when Toronto Fire Services replaced the Sora with another former Canadian Coast Guard vessel, the Cape Hurd, as its second string fireboat, she should be christened the William Thornton in remembrance of him.[5][10][11]
References
1. ^1 {{cite news | url = http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/25/to-fireboat-to-be-named-after-1st-fallen-firefighter| title = T.O. fireboat to be named after 1st fallen firefighter| publisher = Toronto Sun| author = Don Peat| date = 2015-06-25| page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-06-25| deadurl = No | quote = Fire officials explained the name has historical significance for the Toronto Fire Services and the City of Toronto because back in 1848 Thornton was recorded as the first firefighter to die in the line of duty in the city and in Ontario.}}
2. ^1 {{cite web| url = http://www.waybacktimes.com/coswayscorner88fire.html| title = Honouring all of Canada's fallen firefighters| publisher = | author = John Cosway| date = | page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-06-25| deadurl = No | quote = For Thornton, it was his last alarm. While fighting the blaze, a "heavy stone facade" collapsed on him causing severe head injuries. Carried to the fire hall by another firefighter, a "Dr. Telfer" did what he could for Thornton before sending him home.}}
3. ^1 2 3 {{cite news | url = http://torontoist.com/2014/11/historicist-torontos-first-firefighter-fatality/| title = Historicist: Toronto's First Firefighter Fatality| publisher = Torontoist| author = Kevin Plummer| date = | page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-06-25| deadurl = No | quote = Little is known of Thornton. He was employed as a teamster by William M. Gorrie, a coal and wood merchant who operated a wharf at the foot of Yonge Street, and looked after his widowed mother and two sisters—though his name and address were not listed in the city directory. Unable to afford even a gravestone, the family relied upon relief funds raised by Thornton's fellow firefighters and the city council. }}
4. ^1 2 3 {{cite news | url = https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2015/06/24/toronto-fireboat-to-be-named-after-fallen-firefighter.html| title = Toronto fireboat to be named after fallen firefighter| publisher = Toronto Star| author = David Rider| date = 2015-06-24| page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-06-25| deadurl = No | quote = Firefighters pay their respects in 2003 to William Thornton, the first firefighter to die in the line of duty in Toronto. }}
5. ^1 {{cite news | url = http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/cd/bgrd/backgroundfile-81254.pdf| title = Toronto Fire Services – Fireboat Naming| publisher = City of Toronto| author = Toni Vigna| date = 2015-06-09| page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-06-25| deadurl = No | quote = In November 2014, Toronto Fire Services (TFS) acquired a decommissioned vessel, "Cape Hurd" from the Canadian Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has retained the name. The vessel will replace the current back-up vessel, "Sora", obtained from the Coast Guard in 2006}}
6. ^1 {{cite news | url = http://www.cfff.ca/EN/fallen/detail/?id=35| title = The Fallen: William Thornton| publisher = Canadian Fire Fighter's Foundation| author = | date = | page = | location = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = 2015-01| deadurl = No | quote = Interest generated from the first printing of this book led to the placement of a grave marker on September 14, 2003 to mark the previously unknown grave of the first Toronto line of duty death.}}