This wasn’t one of the largest fires Jay Plato, NOTL’s fire chief, has attended.
But it was certainly unique, he added.
Early Wednesday morning, the Niagara-on-the-Lake fire department received a call about a fire at the historic Glencairn Hall, at 14795 Niagara River Parkway.
Plato told The Local the call came in at about 4:38 a.m, and it took only a few minuted for firefighters to arrive, but the fire was fully engulfed, and due to the size of the fire and the time of their arrival, it was impossible to know what was inside the building, or how long it had been burning.
About 50 to 60 firefighters, representing all five NOTL stations, responded, said Plato.
The first call that came in was from the U.S. side of the river, with several from closer to home shortly after that, he said.
He was still not sure Thursday morning whether anyone had been living in the house, or who currently owns it. He was headed to the site to have a look around and inside the building.
At press time there was lots of speculation about ownership, but still no official confirmation.
Described as a “significant fire” in Wednesday’s town news release, Plato said he believes that’s an accurate description.
Compared to the size of the house overall, “there is still a significant amount standing, but also a significant amount destroyed inside,” including the floors, and a portion of the roof that had caved in, he said.
NOTL firefighters were still battling the fire when the Ontario Fire Marshal arrived and took control of the scene, Plato said. The OFM has taken over the investigation of when and how the fire started, and it could be a few weeks before more information is released. In the meantime, the role of the local chief and department is to provide assistance when asked, he explained.
While news of fires often come with a dollar value attached, for the most part based on the resale value of the property plus an estimate of the value of contents, this situation is unusual again in that there is little information to go by. “Obviously it will be into the millions,” Plato said. But any determination is more likely to come after the investigation is complete, and will be up to the owner and the insurance company to determine “what’s salvageable.”
The fire chief says he’s attended some larger fires at bigger homes, as well as the commercial property on Townline Road, which included some residential space, a two-storey furniture store, and a former chicken farm converted to storage, mostly for cars.
“We’ve had some large fires in town, but this one, the large residential fire, the size of the lot and the heritage value, is unique to my time.”
The original house was built in 1832, and was a two-storey, 2,500 square foot home facing the Niagara River, complete with nine fireplaces.
Information provided by the NOTL Museum said is believed that in the 1830s a stone schoolhouse was built for the family’s children and for the estate workers on the same property.
The school house remains on what is now a separate lot, with a house to the south, and to the north, a ravine and open space.
The town designated the property in 2024, and said in its documentation that that there was no objection to the designation.
The property was sold by that long-time owner in the fall of 2024.