THUNDER BAY — The brick walls remain intact, but most of the roof over Thunder Bay's 111-year-old Finnish Labour Temple was destroyed by the fire that broke out early Wednesday evening.
The cause of the fire still has to be determined.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue crews spent the night pouring water onto the historic building, and remained on the scene Thursday morning.
No one was injured, according to a fire service official.
He said the blaze started somewhere between the second and third levels, with smoke initially emanating from the eaves.
The fire then spread rapidly through the top part of the structure, forcing firefighters outside where they focused on an exterior attack.
Among the casualties of the inferno was the iconic cupola above the labour temple's main entrance.
The interior of the building also suffered heavy water damage.
In an interview Thursday morning, Platoon Chief Dan Coulter said "We're still trying to get at the points of the roof that collapsed. That caused voids that we can't get to. And with all the water in the building, the structure may be unsound."
Coulter added "So we've got to just determine how safe it is before we can actually get crews to enter and start tearing apart there to get at these small pockets of enclosed fire."
Developer Brad McKinnon purchased the labour temple in 2020 and has been renovating it for conversion to residential units.
Earlier this year, the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay signed a lease with McKinnon to revive the Hoito restaurant, which has been closed since March 2020.
It was anticipated that the restaurant, which is located in the basement, would reopen as early as June 2022.
Derek Parks, a past board member of the former Finlandia Association that owned and operated the building, had tears in his eyes as he watched the fire's advance.
Parks called it a tragedy, saying "If you're born and raised in Thunder Bay, it's part of everyone's heritage."
The labour temple was designated a National Historic Site in 2015.
