'We're losing too much connection from the past.' Heritage advocates fear a heritage building devastated by fire cannot be salvaged
London fire crews arrived shortly after five Saturday evening and quickly determined the best they could do was limit fire spread.
"Crews did a fantastic job," says London Fire Platoon Chief Colin Shewell. "They contained the fire to the building. We kept crews on-scene overnight, just to make sure there was no hot spots."
Sunday morning, all that remained on the property, at 850 Highbury Avenue North, was a burned-out shell. Members of the London Fire Investigations Unit went up in a bucket to survey the damage, taking pictures and videos.
Firefighters responded to a fire t the former psychiatric hospital on Highbury Avenue in London, Ont. on Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
London Police investigators were also on scene, including members of the Forensic Investigations Unit. Shewell says the determination was made that it was too dangerous to go in, "Investigation will continue. We're working with our partners to determine next steps. It is unsafe to enter the building and do a further investigation."
Among those interested in the next-steps are local heritage preservation advocates.
Firefighters responded to a fire t the former psychiatric hospital on Highbury Avenue in London, Ont. on Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
"We're losing too much connection from the past," says Joe O’Neil, who is among those lobbying to save some of the structures on the hospital site. He says the chapel and the former recreation centre were viewed as worth of saving, and feels the rec centre would have been easiest to save. "The building was solid. It was, basically, a shell. There was no interior walls to, really, rip out. You could have turned that into a community centre with a heartbeat. Of all the buildings, that was the one we could have re-purposed quickest and probably cheapest."
Old Oak Properties, the owner, has faced criticism in the past for failing to properly secure vacant buildings, as they move to build multiple high-rise towers at the site. O'Neil now admits the challenges of doing that may be too great, "Everything in society seems to be breaking down. Daily I see people walking down the street with backpacks filled with bolt cutters and break-in tools."
Demolition of buildings has been taking place at the site, and two heavy construction vehicles appeared at the ready near the recreation building.
Shewell says nothing is likely to happen at the site any time soon, "We're going to be putting up security fencing, putting security on there, and talking to city staff as well as partners with interest in that location."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.