Historic building ravaged by fire
Militia Arms Store dates back to 1832; one Fredericton firefighter sustained minor injuries
Gale-force winds and Victoria-era construction posed some serious challenges for firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Fredericton’s downtown Historic Garrison District.
Fredericton Fire Department assistant deputy chief Dave McKinley told the Fredericton Independent on Tuesday evening that the department personnel were dispatched to the district, also a historic site known as the Military Compound, shortly after 3 p.m.
A fire had broken out at a green building next door to the Carleton Street Armory.
“The back end was fully involved” when firefighters arrived, he said.
The building, which is owned by the military, also housed offices for Fredericton Tourism, McKinley said, but everyone who’d been inside had made it out safely.
Firefighters went in to try to knock the fire back, the assistant deputy chief said, but the blaze had quickly worked its way into the attic.
He said he believes the building dates back to the 1800s, and such Victoria-era construction usually have channels running from the lower level up through the entire structure.
“They usually have a straight run, right to the attic,” McKinley said, noting the fire can spread to the attic and roof quickly as a result.
That’s what appears to have happened in this instance, he said, making for some dangerous conditions. The blaze was raging in the attic before long, he said.
Challenging conditions
“Eventually, we had to pull the crews out… in case we had a collapse there,” the assistant deputy chief said.
Firefighters then focused on knocking back the fire in the attic, he said, but conditions proved challenging.
“We had gale-force winds here today,” McKinley said, still on the scene Tuesday evening.
That made dousing the fire from an elevated position difficult, he said, but the wind also was forcing the smoke into firefighters’ faces.
“We had zero visibility,” he said.
Eventually, the attic blaze was brought under control, McKinley said, and personnel were able to go back in and continue efforts from within to extinguish the fire.
The blaze was brought under control around 7 p.m., he said.
“We had a bit of a firefighter injury,” the assistant deputy chief said.
One member of the department took a fall and was taken to hospital for treatment, he said, but it was a minor injury.
McKinley said given the damage, the historic building is likely a complete loss.
It’s too early to say what the cause might have been, he said.
“It’s under investigation,” McKinley said. “The investigators are on scene now.”
Because the building is attached to the military, he said, it will likely be sending in its own investigator as well.
The assistant deputy chief said 25 firefighters were on hand to battle the blaze, with six department vehicles.
History of the building
The New Brunswick Military Heritage Project section of the University of New Brunswick website notes that the building in question is known as the Militia Arms Store, and it was one of 61 original structures in the Military Compound.
According to the online historical resource, the Militia Arms Store was also the last surviving wooden building in the compound.
“It was probably built in 1832 and was used to store weapons and ammunition for the local militia,” the Military heritage Project said.
“In 1882, an extension was added to the rear and renovated into a military hospital.”
It notes the building has had several uses over the years, serving as a warehouse, temperance hall, a caretaker's residence and offices for Downtown Development Fredericton Inc.
Most recently, it was home to the offices of Fredericton Tourism.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.