Dysart et al fire chief Dan Chumbley says the May 3 fire that engulfed the main lodge of the abandoned Wigamog Inn property has been reported to the Haliburton Highlands OPP and the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office.
The chief said the department was notified of the fire at approximately 4:20 a.m. on Saturday. Thirteen firefighters from Haliburton were involved in the response, with the assistance of four volunteers from Minden Hills. They were on-site for more than eight hours tackling the blaze.
“There were flames coming through the roof at arrival. The fire was contained to the upper floor,” Chumbley told The Highlander. He said the last truck left the site at 12:46 p.m.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office is called to investigate fires and explosions, particularly those with fatalities, serious injuries or suspected arson.
Dating back to the early 1900s, the Wig has sat vacant for years. While current owners, Aurora Group, bought the site in 2015, promises to redevelop have fallen flat. The property has been slated for demolition since mid-2022, with workers tearing down a handful of the 36 accessory buildings between April and June 2023.
Work has been paused since, with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) following up on reports of at-risk species living at the site. Last year, the ministry confirmed the presence of endangered bats and the eastern hog-nosed snake, notifying Aurora Group of the need for further environmental studies before work can proceed.
The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office and Haliburton Highlands OPP did not respond to questions as of press time.
Jerry Stokes, who lives on Webb Circle in the neighbouring Silver Beach subdivision, found out about the fire at around 10:30 a.m. and went to see how bad things were. He said firefighters had the road closed both ways and were still peppering the building with water.
“It’s a mess… surely this is enough now. This has to be the final nail… it feels like it’s going to take somebody getting hurt or killed before something is done,” he said.
Stokes believes he’s been working to tear down the Wigamog longer than anyone he knows. He sat on Dysart’s property standards committee from the mid-2010s to early-2020s and voted in favour of the township hiring a contractor to initiate teardown in 2022.
Following that year’s municipal election, Stokes believes the Wig stopped being a priority for the township. By spring 2023, Aurora Group hired their own demolition crew and started the job.
“They’ve managed to have this tear down delayed so many times… I find it hard to believe the township keeps accepting these setbacks and delays,” Stokes said. “If Dysart moved ahead three years ago, it probably would have been done for half the price than it’ll cost now.”
In January, bylaw officer Hailey Cole estimated remaining demolition would cost approximately $800,000. Now, mayor Murray Fearrey fears it will be significantly more.
He said people have been accessing the property illegally for some time.
“You can go by one day and all the boards are up and then go back a week later and some of them are down. Who’s doing that? That place is boarded up for good reason. In this case, it’s public safety,” Fearrey said. “What would have happened if someone was asleep in there when the fire started? Then this becomes a whole other story.”
Fearrey told The Highlander council wants to take immediate action now that the structure is further damaged and will be discussing the issue later this month.
“We need to find a solution here. One where taxpayers aren’t going to be liable and left to pay. There’s a lot of complications for us to sort out. We have to make sure we’re on solid legal ground,” Fearrey said.
Stokes believes it’s time for council to “get tough” and hold Aurora Group and MECP accountable.
“It’s a death trap now, even more so than it was before. The risk to the public is at an all-time high,” he said.
Attempts to reach Aurora Group for comment were unsuccessful.