The historic Glencairn Estate at 14795 Niagara River Pkwy. was engulfed in flames Wednesday morning. The provincial fire marshal is looking into the cause of the blaze and assessing the extent of the damage to the 193-year-old home.
At 4:39 a.m., Niagara-on-the-Lake Fire and Emergency Services responded to reports of fire coming from the three-storey home, built in 1832.
Neighbour Doug Munkley lives a few houses down the parkway and received a text around 5:20 a.m. alerting him that the estate was on fire.
“I immediately looked out the window and saw that my stepson — the volunteer firefighter’s — car was gone,” Munkley told The Lake Report.
“Then I looked in the other direction and I saw an orange glow above Glencairn.”
By the time Munkley walked over to take a look, the home was fully engulfed, with flames coming out of both wings of the house.
Several firefighters were on site, with around five hoses attacking the flames, Munkley said.
Living nearby, Munkley had been in the home a number of times.
“We’ve got a few mementos of the house and lots of memories there,” he said.
Munkley visited the home again, an hour later, around 6:30 and said the fire was suppressed but “obviously still a concern.”
By his third visit a bit later, the fire was fully contained, but damage to the property was obvious.
“[I] looked at the damage from the back side and the front and it’s pretty clearly a total loss,” Munkley said.
In a media release Wednesday afternoon, NOTL town staff said the heritage property “sustained extensive damage.”
“The Office of the Fire Marshal has been engaged and will continue its investigation into the cause of the fire in the coming days,” the release said.
In an interview, Fire Chief Jay Plato said the Ontario fire marshal is investigating the incident.
“They came down this afternoon and started. They’re going to continue on into tomorrow,” he said.
Plato said there isn’t a whole lot to the investigation on Wednesday, as only the outside of the building was assessed.
Thursday, he said, is when “they really dive in and start to uncover or try to get to another layer of it.”
Plato confirmed the cause of the fire is not known at this time and the investigation is still underway. He said an official report will likely take a couple of weeks.
Around 50 to 60 NOTL volunteer firefighters and trucks from all five fire stations responded to the structure fire.
Coun. Gary Burroughs, also a member of the municipal heritage committee, said it is really too early to comment on the damage from his perspective.
“Friends of ours on the U.S. side saw the flames and it was enormous,” Burroughs said in an interview.
“But until the fire marshals have had a good look at it, there’s no point in even guestimating whether it’s a total tear-down.”
There has been no discussion as of yet between the heritage committee, Burroughs said, but the home built in 1837 is undoubtedly of heritage value.
“It’s definitely a heritage home. It was designated last year,” he said.
The home received its heritage designation last April.
Around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa sent a text statement saying he would not comment until the scene was cleared.
At 5 p.m., Zalepa reached out to The Lake Report, saying the fire is “deeply upsetting for many in our community.”
“Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the property owner, and we are grateful for the swift response from our volunteer firefighters who worked diligently to bring the situation under control,” wrote Zalepa.
Shawna Jarman, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum’s assistant curator, said staff were “devastated” to hear about the loss of the property.
The property not only reflects the history of NOTL, but the history of Queenston due to its connections to the prominent Hamilton family, Jarman said.
“It is such a loss and really proves why heritage designation is so important for Niagara-on-the-Lake especially,” she said.
The NOTL Museum also posted a statement on social media on the historic property.
“We are heartbroken to learn about the fire that has ravaged the historic Glencairn home this morning,” the post said.
The post includes a graphic, detailing history about the classic Greek Revival home, which was built for boat builder and Upper Canada Legislative Assembly member John Hamilton.
The Niagara River Parkway remains closed near the site but is expected to reopen shortly, according to the town’s media release.
