Fire destroys historic building in St. Anthony

A fire that tore through a historic building on the Northern Peninsula brought a devastating loss to the community, says one politician who has close ties to the space.

On Wednesday afternoon firefighters and police were on the scene of a fire that erupted at the St. Anthony Boys and Girls Club.

The building has stood as a landmark in St. Anthony for around 100 years and is one of the historic Grenfell Properties — a collection of structures associated with doctor and missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell who operated in the area more than a century ago.

St. Barbe-L'Anse aux Meadows MHA Krista Lynn Howell said firefighters from the community and surrounding areas worked into the early hours of Thursday morning to put out the fire.

"Everybody came together and made a very solid effort to contain that fire and to ensure the safety of the surrounding structures as well as the community and the people here," she told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

Howell said the community will struggle with losing the building, as hundreds of children from St. Anthony and surrounding communities have gone through its doors.

"While it's devastating to see the loss of the building, that's not necessarily what made that place so special. It's the people. It's the folks that work there. It's the people who are so passionate about making this work here, in our small community," said Howell.

She said the local branch of the Boys and Girls Club has had a lasting and positive impact on the community.

"The Boys and Girls Club has been a crown jewel here in our community and it's supported so many kids over the years. It's the heart of St. Anthony right now for young families," she said.

Howell said as a teenager she worked for the Boys and Girls Club as a youth leader, and later sat on its board of directors during her time as mayor.

CBC News contacted the group for an interview but staff declined, saying there is an emergency board meeting and someone will be available on Friday.

Howell said with the building gone, White Hills Academy will accommodate children who would have headed to the Boys and Girls Club for after-school programs, adding she will also play a role in helping the organization.

"It just so happens that that's right in my wheelhouse in the Department of Education. So I'm working with the staff in our department to figure out if there's a longer-term solution that we can work on as the Boys and Girls Club figures out what their next step is," she said.

Historic building

"Originally, I think it was an annex to the hospital where patients who had been discharged from the hospital would stay and they'd wait for the boat to come or wait for somebody to come pick them up," Howell said.

She said the building has had many different uses over the years, including as staff accommodations for the health-care workers, and was recently handed over to community groups.

"When I was a kid, I remember it was called The Loft," Howell said. "And it was a hangout for youth and for teenagers, and they always had something positive happening for kids in the community."

After news of the fire spread online, Howell said people began sharing their memories about the building and what it meant to them.

"People saying it was the first place that they had an opportunity to learn how to play guitar. Or somebody sharing about how they met their best friend at a dance at The Loft a number of years ago," said Howell.

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