Crews battle large fire at historic Miramichi, N.B., building

Crews battled a large fire at a historic building in Miramichi, N.B., Sunday afternoon.

The Miramichi Fire Department says it was dispatched to a structure fire at 14 Howard St. around 1:30 p.m.

The two-and-a-half storey building was constructed in 1911 and was formally home to St. Michael’s Convent.

The fire department says the building was abandoned and slated for demolished in the coming weeks.

“Due to safety concerns, interior operations had transitioned to defensive tactics early into the incident. After several hours of high-volume water use of approximately 3,000 gallons per minute, efforts have been reduced to limit strain on the municipal water system,” it said in a Sunday evening post on social media.

“Crews continue to monitor the fire and have aerial master streams standing by for ongoing fire suppression as needed.”

Miramichi East MLA Michelle Conroy said the fire is a “huge loss” for the community.

“For the past week we have been fighting to stop the demolition of this incredible building, spoke to the Diocese and planned to post contact info for public to help us request a pause so we could get a plan together,” she said on Facebook.

“I never dreamed I would be posting this fire today instead.”

There is no word on the cause of the fire.

Concerns grow over recent fires

The union that represents firefighters in Miramichi expressed its concern about Sunday’s fire and other recent fires in a Facebook post Monday morning.

In the post the union said recent fires and the increased demand for services in the area magnifies the need for extra staffing.

“With no additional staffing, the Centennial Bridge closure beginning today will place even more strain on our already stretched thin workforce, who are now responsible for staffing a temporary fire station in Douglastown while continuing to meet regular emergency response demands,” stated the post.

Miramichi Mayor Adam Lordon said the city has put a temporary plan in place for fire and policing services during the eight-month closure of the Centennial Bridge including the temporary station in Douglastown that he said will be staffed to the same level as the others.

“We’re working with the union, our staff are, to put in place additional staffing resources as well to make sure we can get through this period in a smooth manor and with adequate resources in place,” said Lordon.

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