The local fire department used to dry its hoses in a 65-foot wooden tower located at the back of the Queen Street Courthouse. This perspective shows the tower from King Street. On July 26, 1953, the local fire hose tower burned down. It is not clear what started the fire. The courthouse was being renovated and there was paint and other materials being stored in the hose tower. Many local firemen where actually close by as the cornerstone for the hospital building on Wellington Street was being laid and there was a ceremony happening at the same time. Accounts state that the fire moved quickly through the tower and firefighters were trying to protect the courthouse from catching fire. They climbed onto the courthouse roof and Noel Haines took up the hose, followed by Alan Bradley and Harold Clement. When the water was turned on, Haines was thrown off balance and was saved from a terrible fall by Bradley. Thanks to the hard work of the firefighters, the flames did not move to the courthouse, although some of the shingles did melt and the walls were blackened.