'There were folks with tears in their eyes': Community saddened by the loss of Chester Playhouse in Nova Scotia
Chester Playhouse, often described as the heart of the community, went up in flames on Friday. Fire tore through the 83-year-old structure.
The damage is significant but some pre-planning helped limit the spread of the fire.
Black smoke billowing high into the air drew many people to downtown Chester late Friday afternoon.
"(The) whole front looks normal, but there was a window in the front that was smashed and the flames were coming out of there, we didn’t realize the whole back was on fire," says Chester resident Jacqueline Swinemar.
Built in 1938, the structure has transitioned from a movie house, to a puppet theatre to the current playhouse. The community calls the loss devastating.
"It’s a real hub, a real heart of this community. Being down here yesterday, there were folks with tears in their eyes, folks that had grown up seeing shows or doing theatre classes, just being part of the playhouse," says Executive Director Andrew Chandler.
The building was at the tail end of a $1.3 million dollar renovation, part of the upgrading, was the installation of a firewall that helped save adjacent buildings. Another major factor working in favour of firefighters was a template on how to combat a fire at this particular building.
"At our officer meetings, we spend a fair bit of time discussing and preplanning a specific location with another district. About two years ago, this was a place that we chose to have a pre-plan on, our water supply, what we would need for equipment, manpower and who we would call in," says Cody Stevens, deputy chief of the Chester Fire Department.
Friday, that plan of attack paid off.
"We ran five inch supply lines to the ocean, and then we put those lines in between the buildings on each corner and the aerial device is up and we just basically surrounded this entire building with water," says Stevens.
Katherine Gleason runs a craft store next door.
"The fact that they could contain it, just a huge credit to them and I think everybody is incredibly grateful," says Gleason.
Village Coun. Danielle Barkhouse says the playhouse will have the support of the community when it comes time to rebuild.
"We love the playhouse, we support the playhouse 100 per cent and it’s one of a kind," says Barkhouse.
The Chester volunteer fire department received mutual aid from 17 nearby departments.
More than 100 firefighters were on scene.
There were people inside at the time of the fire but everyone safely evacuated the building.
At this point, it is too early to know what caused the fire or even if the building is salvageable.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca