'It's so needless': Shock as Halifax Public Gardens building hit by second suspicious fire

A historic building in the Halifax Public Gardens has been damaged by a suspicious fire.

Emergency crews were called to the Horticultural Hall near the gardens’ front entrance around 11 p.m. Monday.

Halifax Fire District Chief Rob Hebb says the fire was quickly extinguished, but it did damage the front façade and part of the deck.

The fire did not spread and no one was hurt.

As a result, the morning opening of the gates was delayed more than three hours Tuesday as officials secured the property.

“It just hits me in the pit of my stomach,” says long-time garden volunteer Sandra McCulloch. “It’s so needless and so vengeful and so hateful. We don’t understand it.”

McCulloch says volunteers were set to meet for orientation in the hall next week.

“Very saddened,” adds daily visitor Marshal Naughler, “like I’ve lost a family member.”

The Horticultural Hall was originally built as a meeting hall and storage area in 1847 and now houses a café and a visitor information centre.

City workers are assessing the damage but believe it’s minimal, according to municipal spokesperson Ryan Nearing. When repairs will happen and how much they will cost isn’t clear, he added in a statement.

Judith Cabrita, a member of the group Friends of the Public Gardens, stands outside the Horticultural Hall on April 11, 2023. The building sustained damage from a fire police say is suspicious. (Heidi Petracek/CTV)

Judith Cabrita, board chair of the Friends of the Public Gardens, says it’s hard to believe someone would damage a place where so many find peace.

“It's absolutely reprehensible,” Cabrita said in an interview with CTV News. “We think of it as being a safe place. And that will be destroyed for some people.”

It’s the second time the building has been damaged by a suspicious fire in less than a year. Last September, police said a fire set on another part of the building was suspected arson.

“It's déjà vu,” said Cabrita. “Somebody or some people are determined to take out their anger somehow. It's just unbelievable.”

In addition to the fire last fall, a police investigation was launched in July after someone used an axe to cut large sections of bark from 32 trees, between 50 to 200 years old. It cost more than $350,000 in damage and killed four trees.

All three incidents occurred after the garden’s gates closed to the public 30 minutes before sunset.

The Friends of the Public Gardens and the chair of the Halifax Public Gardens Foundation offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the tree attack.

Horticultural Hall in the Halifax Public Gardens is pictured on April 11, 2023 after sustaining fire damage late the night before. (Heidi Petracek/CTV)

But Halifax Regional Police says that case, and the investigation into last year’s fire, have been closed without charges due to lack of leads.

After the trees were vandalized, the city says it beefed up security at the gardens, installing initial surveillance cameras last summer, with additional cameras added in September after the first fire.

Several cameras point towards Horticultural Hall, but police spokesperson Cpl. John MacLeod couldn’t say Tuesday whether any useful images had been captured.

“Certainly anytime we can get evidence in the investigation, including video evidence, that may come from surveillance, that may certainly be helpful,” said McLeod.

Halifax Regional Police is asking anyone with video or information to contact them or Crime Stoppers as it continues the investigation.

Cabrita hopes video from the security cameras can provide some answers.

A security camera strapped to a light post in the Halifax Public Gardens is pictured on April 11, 2023. (Heidi Petracek/CTV)

“We’ve been pushing for security cameras for quite some time,” she says, “that’s one good thing that came from the tragedy (tree attack) before.”

She says while it’s not yet known when the building could potentially reopen, the setback won’t stop the group’s volunteers from sharing their love of the gardens through their summer tours and events.

“We can operate around it,” she says, “and the people can still come and enjoy.”

With files from CTV’s Alex MacIsaac and Suzette Belliveau