Roxboro legion gutted by fire, destroying prized antiques and cache of fundraising poppies
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion in Roxboro are doing what they can to rebuild after a fire tore through the building earlier this week, effectively destroying precious antiques, as well as fundraising plans.
The legion branch has been a Roxboro fixture since 1957. Now it's trying to determine what to do next.
Since Tuesday’s fire, former branch president Martin Bruyere has spent his time rummaging through the rubble for artifacts of war.
“This is a WWI Lee-Enfield 303,” he said, gesturing to a charred rifle. “It's hard to say, but it's probably irretrievable.”
Found in the rubble, and mostly undamaged, a portrait of General Georges Vanier -- a gift to the branch from his wife.
“There are things we haven't found yet, like the propeller of an airplane,” said branch president John Floud. “It's got to be in there somewhere, but we don't know where.”
They did eventually find the propeller – which belonged to a Spitfire fighter plane.
The fire alarm went off at 4 a.m. Friday.
“I opened the first door, and realized when I got in there was sweat on the windows inside,” said Floud.
The legion believes a shorted air exchanger on the ground floor caused it. Now, they're trying to figure out where to go during the clean-up.
“We have many of our community buildings, for example, that we give out to non-profit organizations. We've already started since yesterday to look at some of the opportunities to house them,” said Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis.
The timing couldn’t be worse, with Remembrance Day around the corner. There were five thousand poppies on the second floor which, depending on the year, could have been used to raise between $10,000 to $40,000.
“Which is how we make money to help support the veterans,” said Floud. “Bingos at Ste. Anne's Hospital, and local community services such as cadets.”
It seems they won’t be useful now, he said, since they ‘smell too much of smoke.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Impaired driver sentenced to 7 years after double-fatal Cambridge crash
A man who killed two people in a drunk driving crash was sentenced Friday to seven years behind bars.
Online obituary business from Quebec City catching flak for posting unauthorized death notices
Some within the funeral home and mortuary services industries in Quebec say they are frustrated with an online obituary site that publishes death notices from public information posted on the internet. They claim the site is doing so without consent from the families.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for child care as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.