Eight weeks ago, we brought you the history of fires that occurred at churches in the Sudbury area over the previous 140 years. I had planned to revisit the topic this month, turning the focus instead to business and residential fires.
Then the unthinkable happened.
On May 24, history repeated itself when fire crews responded to the Coulson Block on Durham Street to fight a fire within the complex. Sadly, this location had already been the scene of two fires over the previous 100 years. (You’ll see below that’s a common thread for some fires.)
Unfortunately, the scourge of the flames does not discriminate between that which affects people and that which does not.
Over the next few paragraphs, we will look at some of the fires that have most affected people in our region over the previous 140 years, as well as a few other interesting ones (notable either for what was accomplished or just a historical footnote that bears not being forgotten).
Sudbury Junction began its existence as a small rail village encompassing less than one square mile of canvas tents and wood shanties scattered in a clearing in the forest littered with the debris of construction. At that time, the ringing of the railroad cook's triangle warned villagers that a fire was in progress and that help was required immediately since all the buildings were constructed completely of wood and would easily be engulfed by flames. All residents dropped whatever they were doing, grabbing a bucket (even a cooking pot) to join the line from either Nolin or Junction Creek to the safest distance from the fire. Eventually, Sudbury's early residents would come to dread the sound of the ringing triangle.
The first documented fire occurred in June 1884 when a bushfire, fuelled by high winds and fed by the discarded brush surrounding the newly built St. Anne's Rectory, nearly consumed the building.
It was only saved from destruction by a miraculous shift in the wind at the last minute. The fire came within 25 feet of the structure and was so intense it melted the large church candles leaving the wicks in a pool of wax. Unfortunately, a short 12 years later, the flames would have their vengeance in the total destruction of the church proper (written about here).
The year 1892 ended with a blast when, on Dec. 29, the powder house of the Blezard Mine was set on fire "in some mysterious manner" according to The Sudbury Journal, and soon blew up. It was said that the blast broke almost every pane of glass in the village of Blezard. Although no one was seriously hurt, a woman, standing almost a quarter mile away, was thrown to the ground from the shock.
At the beginning of June 1904, the National Hotel located at the corner of Monck (now Frood) and Elm Streets and built in 1890, burned down in a raging fire that reduced it to a mass of ruins within just two hours. It was replaced in short order by the Gagne Block and in 1921 became the home of the Sudbury Star for the next 40 years.
On Jan. 16, 1912, the Canadian Copper Company’s Hospital in Copper Cliff, built in 1903 was totally destroyed. Shortly before 6 p.m., a fire broke out in the dispensary located directly above the furnace, spreading rapidly. Fortunately, it had started far enough from the main portion of the building that all 11 patients were removed without difficulty and taken to the nearby Ontario Club.
By 1914, the company had rebuilt the hospital, which exists to this day as the Walford-On-The-Park residence.
On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of fighting, the First World War ended. Armistice Day was marked in Sudbury by celebrations that began at about 3 a.m., gradually gaining momentum by daybreak. A huge bonfire lit up the corner of Elm and Durham streets as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate.
Anything that was not tied down served to enhance the bonfire. The total damages were reported at $30,000.
On Jan. 15, 1919, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the No. 1 rock house at Creighton Mine. The destroyed structure was built in 1900 and was used exclusively in the days of open pit mining at Creighton up to the time No. 2 rock house was built, though even it had succumbed to fire just a few months prior.
On March 24, 1919, the DesRosiers Block at the corner of Elm and Durham, Sudbury's largest business building and occupied by 19 tenants was destroyed by fire with a loss of $75,000 following a three-hour fire battle and 90,000 gallons of water.
Even more than 100 years later, the name DesRosiers remains painted on the Sudbury landscape as the advertisement on the north wall of the building stands visible for all to see.
Just a week later, on March 27-28, 1919, another disastrous fire almost completely gutted the New American Hotel at the corner of Durham and Larch, only the south walls of the building remained. Affected businesses included Fowler Hardware Limited, Corey's Candy Shop, Mrs. McCabe’s milliner business, Ironstone Men's Clothing and the New American Hotel with its 90 bedrooms, dining room, bar and rotunda.
The loss was estimated at between $80,000-$100,000.
In February of 1920, eight months before its official opening was scheduled to take place, the YMCA building, still under construction in Capreol, caught fire and was reduced to a smouldering scrap heap. While frustrated by this unfortunate turn of events, reconstruction was swiftly initiated and on Oct. 1 1920, it finally opened.
On a cold January morning in 1937, history repeated itself when the New American Hotel became Sudbury's most disastrous fire in 20 years. Thirteen firefighters fought the fire for 19 hours and witnessed the old wooden structure fall to the flames for the second time in less than two decades with a loss of $175,000. The fire left 60 guests out in the cold wearing only their nightclothes. The hotel would swiftly be replaced with the J. P. Coulson Hotel in January 1938.
The end of the Second World War on VJ Day, Aug. 14, 1945, also marked the repetition of a shameful night in the history of Sudbury.
When news reached the city that Japan had officially surrendered, happy celebrants gathered in the downtown area and soon a huge bonfire was lit (again) at the corner of Elm and Durham Streets.
Anything that could burn was thrown into the fire, a new boat that was being raffled off by a local club was stolen and rioters even tried to overturn a streetcar. The fire department was asked to restore order using water streams to disperse the celebrants who were looting the liquor store.
Over $40,000 damage to property was done and 28 men were arrested. Sudbury's riot was the only one in Canada to mark VJ Day.
On Feb. 26, 1946, a construction team working on the creek foundation running through downtown was responsible for six businesses and 14 apartments being wiped out in an early morning $75,000 fire that destroyed the Davis block located at the corner of Elm and Lisgar Street.
In 1950, the flames held no ‘respect’ for what they were ‘burning’ (sorry Rob Gregorini, I had to make the pun at this point) when a $213,000 fire at 50 Durham Street South gutted Levine's, Fairmount Shoes, Dominion and Martin's Men Wear. This location, like others you may have noticed already, hold the distinction of having repeat fire incidents throughout their history.
The Granite Club at 333 Riverside Drive burnt down with a loss of $190,000, on Feb. 6, 1951. A wall of flames and fountains of sparks poured from the windows and roof, sending smoke billowing into the air. The fiery glow in the sky was visible across most of the city. Twenty-seven firefighters fought the fire that, at its height, lit up the entire Riverside Drive area, for 14 hours.
On the morning of Jan. 28, 1952, with the mercury at a frigid -42°F, a spectacular arson fire at the Ledo Hotel kept 32 firefighters busy for 12 hours. The hotel, built in 1907, was a total loss. No lives were lost, but 42 rooms were destroyed and police later arrested a suspect who was a resident of the hotel. He was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On December 3, 1955, the W.J. Bell Mansion built in 1907, suffered an electrical fire loss of $46,000 and was almost destroyed, leaving its outer walls of granite forever stained. The mansion was eventually repaired in 1967 as a centennial project by the Chamber of Commerce.
Nineteen businesses and seven apartments were heavily damaged on Jan. 10, 1967, when a $600,000 fire destroyed an entire block of Elm Street, including S.S. Kresge's, Bright's Wine, Tamblyn Drugs, Superior Finance and M'Lady Coiffures.
A short eight months later, on Sept. 28, 1967, an early morning fire at the corner of Lisgar and Elm Streets did $417,000 in damage, and destroyed 17 businesses and offices in the city urban renewal area, leaving 20 people homeless.
This was the second major fire to hit the downtown in a year.
Sudbury's most expensive fire up to that date occurred on April 28, 1969, when the New Sudbury Shopping Centre, located at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Barrydowne Road, was completely destroyed with a loss of $1,775,215.
The blaze obliterated Yolles Men's Wear, Woolco Warehouse, A.L. Green, Kerns Jewellery, Lougheed Flowers, Bata Shoe Store and Enchin Bros. Clothing. Eight pumper trucks and two ladder trucks were required on scene. Close to 600,000 gallons of water flowed onto the fire in just the first two hours.
On April 1, 1974, a morning fire at the Belton Hotel on Spruce Street spread so fast it trapped and burned two firefighters. They were forced to hang from a window sill on the third floor and wait to be rescued by the ladder truck. The fire was so intense that it completely destroyed the three-story structure for a fire loss in excess of $463,000.
A spectacular $9,000,000 fire on Feb. 7, 1977, completely destroyed the 26,000-square-foot INCO Divisional Shops in Copper Cliff. The fire was so hot firefighters concentrated their efforts more on protecting the nearby structures, as they fought the fire from the rooftops of nearby buildings.
While the mess was cleaned up and the new shops were built, INCO found themselves lucky to be able to temporarily transfer their operations to the Coniston Industrial Park.
A $1,000,000 fire in Capreol completely destroyed the 37-year-old Mazzuca Motors dealership on Oct. 17 1993. Thirty-two employees were put out of work, six new vehicles were destroyed and 15 in the garage were incinerated.
Anne Marie Mazzuca, owner of the garage stated at the time that, said "It's a miracle from God that only the garage was destroyed and the adjacent Liquor Store and the gas pumps in front of the garage were spared.”
On Sept. 19, 2008, an arson fire at the historic Steelworkers Hall on Frood Road (previously written about here by Vicki Gilhula) burned for 26 hours. More than one million gallons of water was used to douse the flames that caused an estimated $13 million in damages.
Local 6500 chose not to rebuild on the site because Nolin Creek ran under the property. Instead, they bought the former Loeb building on Brady Street, where the Steelworkers Hall stands today.
On March 26, 2010, 27 residents lost their homes in a fire that consumed eight interconnected units in the townhouse complex on Dow Drive in Copper Cliff.
There were no serious injuries, although several pets were lost in the fire.
Remember the fire mentioned above at Levine’s? Well, history repeated itself (a common theme it seems with these fires) when a fire broke out on an early March morning in 2014 causing an estimated $500,000 damage to Respect Is Burning Supperclub, which was undergoing extensive renovations at the time. It reopened a year and a half later.
Well dear readers, we have now briefly revisited some of the major fiery disasters that have befallen the Sudbury area over the years. I hope that I’ve lit a fire under your memories and you are able to smoke out some feelings and experiences to share with us from the times when these (or even other fire incidents) occurred, whether they are your own or passed down to you by parents and grandparents. Share your memories of local fires by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Jason Marcon is a writer and history enthusiast in Greater Sudbury. He runs the Coniston Historical Group and the Sudbury Then and Now Facebook page. Memory Lane is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
