West End History: Minto Armouries Fire (1956)

© 2012 and 2020, Christian Cassidy

 Source: Winnipeg Tribune Photo Collection

At 5:25 a.m. on Sunday, January 22, 1956, Bert Polson, the Minto Armouries' night furnace man, was eating lunch when he noticed smoke entering the boiler room and called the fire department. 

When firefighters arrived they knew they had their work cut out for them. The fire was burning directly above the main entrance of the massive building, which blocked their access. Temperatures in the minus 20 degree range hampered firefighting equipment.

At the other end of the building a different drama was unfolding. The armouries' live-in caretaker couple, Robert and Lily Mainer, had fled to the roof to escape the smoke. Due to the darkness and the noise of the fire they spent half an hour crying out in vain.

Lily, who was partially paralyzed due to lateral sclerosis, recounted: "Does anybody hear us? Like heck they do. They're (neighbours) all asleep. Half an hour we stand there screaming and shivering and shivering and screaming." (Source: January 23, 1956, Winnipeg Free Press.)

They were finally spotted by a passing police car and firefighters were alerted. The couple and their pets were saved.

Source: Winnipeg Tribune Photo Collection

As news of the fire spread, soldiers began to arrive at the armouries. Some fought the fire while others went about saving the contents of the building that housed ten reserve units.

The first to arrive was a Lt. Smith, who drove ten vehicles out of the basement. Others removed the remaining vehicles as well as regimental trophies and records, musical instruments, kilts, rifles and "refreshments", (the newspapers didn't elaborate on the latter.) Sadly, though, not all of the memorabilia could be saved.

The fire was believed to have started in the sergeants' mess at the southwest corner of the second floor, but by the time firefighters arrived it had spread throughout the building using a series of false ceilings and the interior wooden balcony. The fire then got into the roof structure and behind the walls making the flames impossible to get at.

It took firefighters about twelve hours to put out the main fire and extinguish the numerous  hot spots that kept reigniting.

The battle took its toll on firefighters, injuring two and killing Battalion Chief Andrew Hebenton.

Hebenton, 65, was a 42-year veteran of the force and entered the building numerous times over the course of the morning. On one trip he felt chest pains and had to be helped outside by his men. He refused to leave the scene and directed the fight from his car. When his chest pains continued he was brought, against his will, to hospital.

Hospital staff thought that the feisty Hebenton might be delirious from heat exhaustion and began asking him questions, to which he shot back: “I know what day it is. There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s Sunday. And there’s a fire at Minto Armouries and I’ve got to get back there fast." He died shortly after from a heart attack. (Source: January 23, 1956, Winnipeg Free Press.) 

It had been a devastating few weeks for the Winnipeg Fire Department. Chief David Clawson was unable to attend fires due to a heart problem, the deputy chief was injured in a fall at a fire back in December, and in November Battalion Chief Robert Beatson was killed at a blaze.

Morale had been low at the department for a number of years due to administrative matters. It was further lowered when a couple of firemen told the media that that the second alarm for the Minto Armouries fire, which was called in 10:30 a.m., came hours too late and allowed the blaze to become an inferno.

March 3, 1956, Winnipeg Free Press

The fire caused $600,000 in damage and spawned a number of investigations.

The first was by the provincial fire commissioner. He ruled that the fire was accidental, believed to have been caused by a smouldering cigarette butt on a chesterfield in the second floor sergeants' mess.

The Public Safety Committee of city council ordered the fire department to do a special investigation because of the public comments made by firefighters at the scene about the delay in calling in a second alarm. 

The two firemen who went public about the delay refused to sign official statements to that effect. One said that he spoke out of emotion and couldn't remember all of the facts. The other denied ever speaking to a reporter. The department's 68-page report came in early March and concluded that: "Fire department records indicate that proper fire fighting techniques were employed in the fighting of the fire" and that having additional firefighters on-hand earlier than 10:30 would not have made a difference. (March 3, 1956, Winnipeg Free Press.)

The report was "received as information" by council.

 February 25, 1956, Winnipeg Free Press

Initially, it was thought that the building was a write-off and would be cheaper to rebuild than repair. The Defense Department hired consultants, including Green, Blankstein, Russell and Associates, to examine the structure and provide cost estimates for both repairs and reconstruction.
While this was going on, there was a lobby to have the armouries relocated to another part of the city. It had been built on what was the outskirts of town in 1913, but now was in the heart of a residential neighbourhood. The constant noise and traffic from the building was a sore point for some.

Some on council examined whether a zoning technicality could prevent its reconstruction in the same place, (it couldn't.) Then, the city looked into purchasing land immediately north of the armouries to prevent any future expansion. It turns out they were too late as the Defence Department had already purchased this land along with a section of land to the south of the building on the other side of St. Matthews Avenue.

Right: armycadethistory.com

On March 16, 1956, it was announced in the House of Commons that the cost to restore the Minto Armouries was $470,000, a figure that was considered within reason by the Defence Department.

In July, plans were announced for a $900,000 redevelopment that included renovating the original structure and adding two more buildings to the site, one to the north and one to the south. Work began soon after and the building reopened gradually over the next year and a half. (The building to the south, a gun drill and maintenance building, was never built.).
One noticeable difference between the old and rebuilt structure, see above, is the height of the roof over the central drill hall area.

Minto Armouries is still in use today. It is home to the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and their regimental museum as well as the The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders Cadet Corps.

Related:
Fire at Minto Armouries Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum
Armouries in Winnipeg Swept by $600,000 fire Ottawa Citizen (1956)
Visiting Winnipeg's Historic Minto Armouries The Bomb Garden
Photos of Minto Armouries