The legion in Hepworth has been completely destroyed by fire.
South Bruce Peninsula Fire Chief and Manager of Emergency Services Tim Wilson says Grey Bruce OPP were the first to respond to the blaze on Legion Road at about 4 this morning. The legion is also the Hepworth Country Music Auditorium and houses the Bruce Grey Music Hall of Fame.
Wilson says about 34 firefighters attended from the South Bruce Peninsula Fire Department, Arran-Elderslie firefighters from the Tara department, and Inter Township firefighters from Georgian Bluffs. Wilson says there were about 14 trucks on the scene, two of which were pickups, the rest were various fire trucks.
In the freezing temperatures, water couldn’t be drawn from ditches and Hepworth doesn’t have fire hydrants, so Wilson says tankers filled up in Wiarton, Shallow Lake and Sauble Beach.
As of 12 p.m. Friday, Wilson says the blaze was mostly out, with some firefighters remaining on scene to extinguish things that were still smoldering. The OPP are securing the scene. There were no injuries. Wilson says Grey County and Bruce County paramedics were on scene to support firefighters, keeping them warm and hydrated in the cold weather.
He estimates the damage to be around $2 million. “We had to tear down the front section for safety reasons…and to get at some of the hot spots with an excavator. The front portion of the building has been removed. The main roof of the building is collapsed upon itself inside. It is a total loss, but for the most part, the shell remains,” says Wilson.
Grey Bruce OPP say in an email, the cause of the fire is not considered suspicious.
Legion President Karie Cole says, “It is very shocking news, very devastating. A sad, sad, day.” Cole says she was called at 5 a.m. by a police officer who was at the scene. She says when she arrived the building was fully engulfed. Cole says the loss of all that memorabilia is devastating, including pictures of past legion presidents, veterans, medals, war vintage, guns, army certificates. “They’re irreplaceable,” says Cole. S few crosses in a back shed and a lawn mower were salvaged by firefighters, but little else.
The building had a large hall on one side, and a legion club room on the other. Cole says the loss of the hall and music venue is significant, as it was important to people of all ages, explaining “It’s a big thing for our community. The kids go down for Remembrance day and do the posters, and public speaking.. so it’s sad.”
“Both sides had different meaning to it. It’s a history that will never be replaced unfortunately,” says Cole, noting they regularly had musical jam sessions in the music hall, when not subject to pandemic restrictions.
She says the legion’s executive will have to meet in the coming days and decide what to do next. The legion owns the building and the baseball diamond beside it. At the moment, her hope is to rebuild the legion, but says that will be discussed and voted on.
Legions across Canada have been hit hard by the pandemic, and the Hepworth Shallow Lake branch was no exception. Cole says her Branch #586 now has about 80 members, which is a drop in numbers since the pandemic began. She says, they used to have over 100, and hopes more young people will become members in the future.
Meanwhile, Mayor Janice Jackson also went to the scene to Friday. She says, “It’s such a devastating loss for the community. Not only the history of the legion and all of our wonderful veterans from South Bruce Peninsula and all the memorabilia— there was so much memorabilia inside that building that is now lost. But it was also the home to the music hall of fame and all of the memorabilia for that. It’s so devastating to lose something like that in our community.”
Jackson adds, “We’re a very strong community and we’ll pull together and help them get back on their feet and we’ll get through this.”
Anyone who would like to help the legion recover from its loss can reach Branch #586 President Karie Cole at karezee93@hotmail.com
