One of the city’s most iconic backdrops is no more.
Two of the colourful and historic stages at Quidi Vidi, the subject of countless photos and tourism ads, burned into the water last night.
The call came in around 11:30 when area residents noticed smoke coming from the back of one of the structures.
Historic fishing stages in Quidi Vidi Village destroyed by fire. pic.twitter.com/RaEJL0QxQX
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The fire intensified and St. John’s Regional Fire Department Platoon Chief Mike Hall says crews went to the scene, but were helpless in trying to battle the flames.
He says because the area is only accessible by boat, and they didn’t have enough pressure to allow the water from their pumper trucks to reach the other side of the inlet, they had to sit by and watch the fire burn, something he calls frustrating.
(VOCM News)
The fire spread to an adjacent structure and escalated as some of the fuels stored inside ignited.
He says the fire was escalating gradually and must have caught a propane tank or some other fuel source. “The thing started to reg up like a jet engine.”
Hall is commending local residents who with a boat and buckets, managed to douse some nearby structures, preventing the fire from spreading further.
(VOCM News)
“We lost two historic stages, but some of the locals took matters into their own hands. They got access to a boat and they got across the inlet, and they used buckets and the pump systems that was on the boat…’cause the fire was starting to progress into a third structure, so they managed to stop it from progressing. So hats off to these guys, they did a great job….it would have engulfed all structures on that side of the inlet.”
The concern now is to ensure that the fire does not spread to the hills behind the cliffside. Hall says provincial crews are monitoring the situation along with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department.