The main building of the historic Waegwoltic Club in Halifax has been destroyed by fire, as crews in Nova Scotia continues to deal with out-of-control wildfires.
The blaze at the Waegwoltic Club, located on Coburg Road on the Northwest Arm of Halifax, began at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
There was thick black smoke in the south end, and photos on social media show flames shooting out of the roof of the club’s main building.
In an update Friday, Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Deputy Chief Roy Hollett told reporters, “it’s gone.”
Hollett said after the fire breached the roof, firefighters were pulled out of the building and began “defensive actions,” focusing on extinguishing the fire from the outside.
“At one point last night …. the roof collapsed on itself and that’s extremely dangerous,” he said. “So what we had to do is bring in an excavator and help dig out that pile so we can start applying water. But unfortunately, the Waeg is gone.”
The previous day, Deputy Chief David Meldrum said firefighters had been able to rescue some items from the historic building.
“We have been able to salvage some photos and historically important artifacts from the building before we had to leave the building and go defensive,” said Meldrum.
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At the time, he said it appeared the club would “receive very significant structural damage, perhaps destruction.”
The members-only recreation facility — which features tennis courts, pools, basketball and volleyball courts, and dining areas — was founded in 1908. The club has hosted royalty, the G7 summit in 1995, and is a popular venue for weddings.
In an email to Global News, the club’s communications manager said the property was now closed.
“The fire is out, but the structure is still being monitored, due to conditions,” wrote Jamie Urquhart.
The facility was undergoing renovations, after a previous fire in April of this year significantly damaged the main building.
Hollett said Friday that the cause of April’s fire is still “undetermined,” after an investigation.
The cause of this latest fire may never be known.
“With this one, with the damage, it’s going to be a challenge for the crews, for our investigators, to determine what caused it,” said Hollett.
“The damage was so severe we’ve had to take the building, what was left of it, down in order to extinguish the fire.”
On the day of the fire, crews in the municipality and province were stretched thin with multiple calls and ongoing out-of-control wildfires amid scorching temperatures.
As firefighters actively battled the Waegwoltic Club fire, Meldrum said the department had a “very high” call volume, with 12 outside fires since noon.
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