Building at Bloomfield School site destroyed in early morning fire

A vacant north-end Halifax building that was previously described as an "immediate safety risk" by a fire inspector caught fire early Sunday.

One of the buildings at the Bloomfield School site, located in the 2700 block of Agricola Street, was destroyed.

In a tweet, Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency said they were called to the site around 1:35 a.m. AT.

It called the fire "significant and quickly developing." It said it took about four hours to extinguish the blaze.

A morning tweet from the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters union said the fire "escalated quickly." In a statement issued later in the day, the union said firefighters faced difficult conditions at the scene, including cold temperatures, freezing hoses and frozen air packs.

It said that as many as 44 firefighters responded, which represents about half of the daily minimum for firefighting staffing in the municipality.

Ryan Charlton was on his way to work at the Halifax Shipyard Sunday morning when he spotted lots of smoke in the sky. Travelling down Robie Street, he stopped and took some photos and video of the fire around 4 a.m.

"It was massive flames," he said.

The fire department said crews are still at the scene to put out hidden fires.

The fire's cause is under investigation.

Some of the roads in the area are closed to traffic.

Heather Fader, who lives next to the old school, said police knocked on her door at 3 a.m. to tell her to evacuate.

She stayed at a neighbour's house and watched the smoke rising from the building. She was able to return home later Sunday.

"It was scary because all the ash was coming over on my neighbour's house and my house, and I thought that might catch fire, too," she said. "I was terrified."

In a news release issued at 6:10 a.m., Halifax police said Robie Street between Almon and May streets is shut down, as well as Agricola Street between Almon and McCully streets.

Police expect traffic restrictions to last throughout the morning.

Safety concerns

The Bloomfield School property has been the subject of a dispute between the city and the developer who owns the property, Alex Halef of Banc Investments Ltd. The developer purchased the property in January 2021.

There have long been safety concerns around the multi-building site, as well as complaints that it's unsightly.

The company was ordered to conduct a structural integrity assessment. Although Halef initially appealed that order, he reached an agreement with the city in November 2023.

Fire inspector Dustin Garnett previously said there were fires set in the building by homeless people trying to stay warm. He was concerned obstructed entry points meant fire crews wouldn't be able to get in to help if a fire spread.

A message sent to Halef's lawyer Sunday morning was not returned.