Fire at old Empire Hotel
UPDATE October 13 2009
I spoke with Sunil from Executive Security and he said that tenants will be allowed to go into the building today and tomorrow, but they must be escorted by the owner (Dave). If tenants want to go in they should contact Dave to arrange a time.
I have set up a page where you can donate money with credit card or paypal. All money will be given directly to the Salvation Army and is strictly for those affect by the fire. Follow this link to donate – Help those affected by fire
The Empire hotel was erected in 1947 and was once a popular motel. It was eventualy converted to an apartment building and, until last night, housed close to 100 tenants in 52 rooms.
above photo from Huntsville Forester
I recently moved to Huntsville and have made a few friends. I got a call from a friend and co-worker of mine letting me know that she was outside her building and there was a bit of smoke. I thought no big deal, the fire department will put it out no problem, this was at 9:30 pm. An hour later I get a call from another co-worker stating that their are flames coming from the old Empire hotel. I grabbed my camera and hopped in my car.
This is what I saw when I arrived. The Huntsville fire department working hard to battle the flames coming from the room of the building.
I was amazed at how many firefighters were on scene, all of them working very hard to help battle the blaze. I later found out that almost all of the firefighters on scene were volunteers.
A large crowd of people formed around the building. Many of the spectators are residents of the building. I was told by my friend who lives in the building that the fire alarm went off well in advance and everyone had enough time to get out of the building safely. It was over an hour before the flames began to show from the roof.
Firefighters manned multiple hoses from every side of the building. I counted over ten hoses being used at once.
This fire truck had a ladder and hose extended in order to spray the fire that had caught on the roof. This hose was spraying for over two hours and still the flame continued to burn on the roof.
Many fire trucks, ambulance, and police vehicles filled the streets.
Even though it had only been a few hours since the fire had started the community was already reaching out. From the volunteer firefighters who were helping battle the blaze, to local residents bringing Tim Hortons to residents and the Salvation Army who kept a tally of who was staying in the building and worked hard to locate each tenant and provide them with shelter for the night (at a local motel)
The fire department worked relentlessly to fight the flames but the fire burnt on for hours. The photo below was taken at approximately 12:15 am. The fire had been burning for almost two hours and despite the fire departments best efforts showed no sign of slowing down.
It was suspected that the tar on the roof was on fire and that is why it was burning so strong.
The photo below was taken at about 12:30 AM. You can see that so much water has been sprayed on the roof that the floors below are now flooding. You can see the water coming out of the windows.
Around this time rumours began to spread that another fire truck was coming from Rama township to help fight the flames on the roof.
The photo below was taken at approximately 12:45 am. According to fire fighters the hoses can spray 1000 gallons of water per minute. This hose has been going on the same spot since 10:30pm and the fire is still going. 1000 gallons a minute for over two hours, it is no surprise the building was flooding (as shown in previous photo)
At this time the fire began to build. Some locals told me that there was a boiler room and elevator shaft on top of the room that was blocking the water from hitting some of the flames and this had now caught fire. You can see the growing orange glow in the three pictures below.
In the picture below a new fire fighter is preparing to climb the ladder to take over and relieve another fire fighter
At approximately 1:00 am the Rama fire department arrived with a much needed fire truck with an extendable ladder.
This ladder helped get a more precise shot at the fire and cover more angles (as the boiler room was blocking some of the water from the other truck)
I had just enough battery life for one last shot. I snapped this one from down the road and you can see the Huntsville fire truck with the ladder, the Rama ladder and multiple streams of water which are coming from the ground.
My room mate is a volunteer fire fighter and as of 4:30 am she is still not back. I talked to one of my friends and he said the fire fighters are still working at putting the fire out. He said the fire flickers a bit every now and then but it is almost out.
My prayers go out to all of the residents of this building and their families. Donations will be needed as there are 52 apartments in this building and all of their possessions may be lost due to this terrible event. Please donate clothing, food, or anything you think you do not need. Money will help a lot and I am sure there will be a lot of fundraisers following this event.
Update:
My roomate said she got back at 7:00am and the fire is out. They were allowed to enter the building and saved 3 kittens and a hamster! More news to come as I hear it. Feel free to post updates in the comments section. I am more than happy to add other pictures as well.
Donations:
I spoke with a lady while at the fire from the Salvation Army. She said that the Salvation Army will be involved in accepting donations for the people affected by this fire. Her name was Lisa O’Doherty and she is from the Huntsville Corps located on 4 Mary St. East. You can reach her at 705-789-3398
Contact:
If you would like to use any of the pictures from this post you can contact me at jeremyrupke@gmail.com I can provide full sized images for print. If you are sharing these pictures on the internet please also link to my website. Thank you
Keep up to Date:
You can get updates from this blog by entering your email address in the box below. Updates will include some of my photography and interesting events and things to do in Huntsville (no junk mail or boring stuff)
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hi my name is ashley and i gerw up in the town of huntsville it is so sad that this historic building went ;up in falmes last night i hope they get it out in time to save the rest of the sterch in town i was they could save the building as well i hope that every one is ok and has places to stay i was going to call about an apartment on this lil block here and i gusse that went up in flames lastnight but o well i just hope they can get all the bissness up and runing soon much love to every one in those apartments from Ashley Aitchison
WOW
Great pictures Jeremy! I was out for my early morning walk and was stunned by the number of fire trucks still around the fire area. I stopped to talk to a couple of very tired looking firefighters sitting on the steps enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Despite the look of exhaustion – there was glimmer of pride in their eyes of having done a good night’s work. This is what they train for! Further down the street another tired looking but smiling firefighter had a big orange cat cradled in his warm arms – “taking him to my car” was all he said.
To all of those brave men and women, who as you say are volunteer firefighters, my heart felt thanks goes out to you for doing a fine job of fighting one of Huntsville’s worst fires in years!
My mother lived in the building -on the third floor. I was sickened to see a picture with smoke POURING from ‘her apartment’ windows… She had been out for the evening & wasn’t aware of the fire until she returned -to find her “home” in flames! She obviously wasn’t able to get her cat, & is beside herself with worry as to what’s happened to her. -Her cat was orange -anyone know who the fire-fighter was that found this cat? Or how I can find out whether or not he may have found her cat? It would mean the world to her!
My thoughts are with all those who have lost everything. For people like myself who are from Huntsville but no longer live there, thank you for your photos and information. I appreciate the thought and effort that you put into this site.
Hey Jeremy,
Just wanted to say that the pictures you took are outstanding! Great job. I am going to link this site to my Facebook page as I know there are many others who will want to see your great shots!
Angee
Good coverage Jeremy
Thanks alot.
Glad no one was hurt.
Great Pictures. To all those who have lost in this terrible event my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Wow… spectacular images. So tragic for all the folks that lived in there. Thank you for sharing these
So Sad for the people in the building who lost there home and for a landmark in Huntsville. I too lived in huntsville but now live far away. I appriciate the photos, which were great shots of what happened. Good old Huntsville i will always have fond memories of it.
Thanks for the photos Jeremy. My mother is one of the tennants in that building. She is safe and sound but I have been unable to contact her. I know she is safe and that is the important thing. It is great that the community has responded so fast to this as well. Having seen these photos really helped me out with the severity of the situation. Thanks again.
Robb
I used to live in the Empire many years ago and was shocked when I heard the news. I do hope they can save most of the structure at least. I also worked in the kitchen when they used to have the Chinese food buffet there. Such a shame. It is a focal point for the main street and I hope they can save the building.
Thank you Jeremy for posting theses photo’s and information on donations. As my brother posted above my mother is a tenant in this building and has lost everything. I used to live in that building myself before I moved out of province. We are both out of province now and can’t be there to help.
I suspect that many of the tenants in this building do not have insurance and are going to need all the help that they can get. Thank you to the fire fighters that worked so hard to put this fire out, the Salvation Army, the Legion and to the community of Huntsville for being so supportive.
Fantastic photos Jeremy. And great narrative, too. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have lost their homes and belongings as a result of the fire, and to the owners of businesses in the building, as well. Thanks Jeremy for doing such a great job documenting all of this for the rest of us.
Spectacular pictures Jeremy. So sad to see the demise of the Empire Building. I know John has been feverishly working to restore her to her former glory for the G8. All our thoughts and prayers go out to the firefighters and all those affected by this tragedy.
What type of camera took those pictures? Great shots.
Hey everyone thanks for all the positive feedback about the pictures. Mike – I shoot with a Canon 40D
Great pictures Jeremy. I was across the street getting gas when the first of many fire trucks started to arrive. The first word I had heard were “is everybody out of the building?” and of coarce everybody was. At this point in time I was almost positive that the fire department would put the fire out quickly. About an hour later I had to come back to town and was shocked to see the building was still on fire. My hat goes off to our great fire department who sometimes don’t get enough credit for the hard work they do. Also my thoughts a prayers go to those who may have lost everything. I’m sure our great little town will pull together and help those in need.
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy: I was just wondering if your related to Dorothy Ouderkirk, that was her maiden name when we went to school together back in the early 1970′s.
Um not to sure. My last name is Rupke, I have big family, lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Born in 85.
I was absolutely shocked when I opened this article from a friend of mine Ken Butts who lives in the area. My husband and I lived in Huntsville on Highway 11B north just up from the hospital in the 80′s. We have since moved out to Kitimat BC but have been to the area many times as most of our family live in the area. The pictures are outstanding although sad in nature. To all the firefighters and all the volunteers who rallied together in this tragic event, you should be very proud of your efforts. It is sad to see a historic building virtually gone but there could have been many losses of life. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who have lost many precious things.
Sigh
I used to live and work there as my parents owned this building at one time. A lil tough to think that this is what has come of this wonderful building. For as long as I can remember it has been the spot for clubs like JT’s, Traxx and Clud Soda just to name a few. The store fronts have been local family owned businesses and the Barber shop has been there for many years. There are no words to comfort the tenants as this is beyond words for them. I can only hope that they will all find there way through this.
Amazing work Jeremy… Thank you so very much for posting information for Lisa at the Salvation Army. Many people are counting on the communities support and I know that Huntsville will not let them down. Keep up the great work and again amazing photos. Im sure it has eased a few peoples minds to see what they all have been hearing but couldnt be here to see for themselves….
Jeremy,
Great pictures, it is hard to imagine the feeling of the people who lost everything last night! My prayers are with them. With a town as great as ours I know that everyone will rally around with donations and help.
Through friends photos and videos being posted on facebook and youtube I was able to watch this all unfold last night. It is sad to know that many family and friends have lost their homes and everything they own. I am glad to see so many who stepped in and got right to work setting up donations and helping everyone affected. The support of the community is behind them and they will be needing it during this difficult time. I wish I were closer to offer my support but I do offer my prayers and well wishes to everyone.
Check out the video at: http://www.huntsvilleforester.com
Wow!! I grew up in Huntsville and it’s very sad to see a landmark building burning. My appreciation and thanks to all the fire fighters and volunteers. Huntsville has always been a helping community. To Gregg Lasseter thanks for keeping me posted!!
Thanks for posting these pictures. I was a Huntsville Fire Fighter until we moved out of town 2 years ago. I’m proud of my friends and all of the awesome work they do.
I appreciate you coverage,
Travis
I am thankful to be able to keep in touch with whats going on in Huntsville and sad to see such a tragedy happening.Both my Mother ,Norma (Nichol)Woodall and father Fred Woodall were from that area.When we were kids we always went to Huntsville every summer,best place ever.It was nice to get the pictures so early.Thanks Amy Chaffey for directing me to this sight and keeping me posted.
Marilyn
Glad to see these photos they are great.
What is the town doing for these people who likely just payed there rent and don’t have money even to rent new place? They likely just did there food shopping to ,that food is all gone since no hydro in building. This is so sad.
Food bank is a help but where do you take the food to and do you have can opener??
I would think everything in the Apts is ruin ,clothes,furniture..etc.
I hope the Mayor and MPPS do something to get these people a place to live before the snow comes.
Glad my Mom is safe and all the people who live there.
They need more then food banks they need a new home.
So sad to hear that this building has gone. I use to live in Huntsville and remembered a few people that lived in there but am not sure if they do anymore. I am just glad to hear that everybody got out safe including some pets!! Congrats to all the firefighters for their best efforts and to everybody else whom is donating things and helping out any way they can for the residents of this building. My thoughts are with all of you during this very sad time. The pictures and stories were wonderful though. Thank you for posting those!!
any one got after math pics
hello huntsville is my home town and i used to live on the 3rd floor of the empire …I am part of a big company here in hamilton ontario and i have asked everyone if they could donate anything that would help all that have lost in the fire so when i have gathered up all the donations i will bring them up and drop them off at the huntsville legion
I grew up in Huntsville, I was born and raised there. My grandmother lived in The Empire Hotel for a while. I can not believe it is gone… Does any one know how is started???
My prayers are with all those whom lost there home, I’m sure I know some of you. But even here 3000 miles away my thoughts are still with you.
- Areol, Justin & Seth Hurshman-
Louise Bank… It is sad to say but unless they have tenant insurance the Ontario Government and the town of Huntsville by law do not have to do anything for them…
Jason that is amazing to hear! All donations are greatly appreciated. Deerhurst has set up a system where employess can donate and it will take the money right off of their paycheck. That makes it very easy. It is awesome to see the community reaching out and even former residents! I was considering setting up a button on this pay to donate with paypal but I feel people would be more comfortable donating directly to the organization involved.
My name is Ted Lake and I grew up in Huntsville and spent a lot of time at the Empire. There was a teen club there and of course a bar when I turned of age. When ever I go “home” I always visit the old place. My thoughts and prayers to all.
So sad to hear about the fire! I went to see David Wilcox there 23 years ago! Such a terrible thing!
an one have a number were i can contact some one i got cat food and treats here that im willing on donating so the cats can eat to i would like to get it to them by morning
There is a number to call under the donations header in this post. Thanks for helping ashley!
Thank you for posting this. It was a big help in finding out some info for my mother and I about my Grandmother. Thankfully everyone was able to get out safe and sound.
It’s nice that they are getting help with a place to stay even though it might be for a day or two. Sadly now they have to look for somewhere else to live. These people are going to need all the help they can get, through friends, family and strangers.
Quite shocking, went to School in Huntsville, spent a lot of time there.
I did too Luke…….
Wow I am glad every one made it out safe , and how sad the building holds a lots of good memorries
sad , hope it can be rebuild ?
I know there will be a lot of people looking for places to stay. I just bought a house here in Huntsville and have not moved in yet. The closing date is October 16th and I will have an extra bedroom for anyone who needs it that was affected by the fire. If you have something to offer post it on here and on the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=148949389542
Wow…great shots and so glad that everyone got out! We use to live in the area as well….prayers and thoughts to those that lost so much.
Fabulous shots.
Yes, we must celebrate our crews. While the fire chiefs are salaried, our crews in Central Ontario are volunteers who give up their time and energy to keep us safe.
The Bala Falls Drowning was such a preventable tragedy.
http://mymuskoka.blogspot.com/search/BalaFallsDrowning
This is my poem: homage to our heroes –
http://myreflectionsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/08/meaning-of-death.html
EMS crews have been attending the many accidents in the area. It takes a toll on our OPP, too.
I was sorry to see pics of the Empire burning. I was born and raised in Huntsville. I also was married and raised 3 children there. Many a good times at the Empire Hotel. I am so glad no one was hurt, and hopefully life will return to some sort of normality soon.
wow – what a shock and my heart goes out to all the businesses and people who lived in the building and glad there was no one hurt – lots of good memories from Huntsville – lived there for 14 years and the Empire Hotel – Traxx – J-T’s etc we had alot of good times there! !
My husband & I, along with our two cats lived on the 3rd floor of the building and have managed to survive this terrible tragedy. We had insurance but many others we spoke to on Thursday night and Friday morning did not. We are going to have to ask the community to come together and offer any assistance they can offer to those desperate and in need of help. We smelled smoke around 8:30 and called 911 close to 9pm when we saw where the smoke was coming from. Luckily no one was hurt. Kind of puts things into perspective when you go through something this traumatic. To Dave, the wonderful landlord who has been lovingly restoring this building for the past number of years, we’re thinking of you.
I am so glad everyone got out safe. It is so sad to loose such a landmark as the Empire. I worked there with a whole bunch of guys in the late 70′s when the pit burned and we rebuilt it, if I remember correctly Jim Odekirk was running the job. Hopefully the building can be rebuilt. I was told when we recapped the roof edge cap in the late 90′s that it is an all steel structure and than the only way it would be taken bye fire is if the roof caught on fire and in the pics it looks like most of it burnt, so sad.
Please donate on this page – Everyone who donates will be listed on the website http://www.escapetohuntsville.com/donations-for-those-affected-by-the-huntsville-fire
I remember hangin out there with my friend frm high school Pete Tumber when his dad owned it ive bin living out of Huntsville for almost 6 years but it is and always will be my home and i do have lots of good memories of the Empire and it is a loss for the town
hi im looking for 2 cats by the names of casper and ebony casper is a white cat with one blue and one brown eye…and ebony is a black soild female they were lost in a fire if u have herd of the wear abouts call the animal shelter in huntsville they have the ladys info and number we would like to find these cats dead or alive the lady would like to have them dead or alive these are her pets so if any one can help plz do so and the lady lived on the 1st floor of the empire building in huntsville they have been missing since thursday night when the fire started so if u have herd any thing about these to cats plz call the shelter
I am a fairly new resident to Huntsville – moved here from Toronto in July 2007. I watched for hours as this historic building burned just a few short nights ago. I was relieved that the residents got out while, at the same time, very concerned for their pets. Does anyone know how many animals were lost in this tragedy? I rescue animals … A special thank you to the devoted Firefighters and I wish the very best to the residents. I have made my donations (both monetary and otherwise) to The Salvation Army in order to help. Wish I could do more.
Does anyone know the cause of the fire?
Awesome photos Jeremy!! I would be interested in speaking with you further about photography.
Ashley – I wonder if either of the cats were found?
Kim
President – PAWS
Huntsville, ON
(If I were in Huntsville now I’d do this myself, but since I am not) has anyone, or would anyone consider leaving food & water for any pets to have escaped the fire? I heard there were quite a few cats found, downstairs inside the building -still alive! (IF this is the case) they are probably traumatized & would most likely stay hidden, therefore, they may not have been ‘found’ yet. -They are probably starving! (And cold!)
(I know some people think ‘worrying about the animals’ is ‘silly’ & a ‘waste of time & resources’ but, those who have pets, LOVE them..!) After such a horrendous & completely life-altering event, not knowing the fate of a beloved pet is yet another crushing blow for people already pushed to their physical AND EMOTIONAl limits!
If ANYONE sees ANY animal they THINK MAY have once had a ‘home’ in the Empire building (be it dead or alive) PLEASE (!!!) call an animal shelter, post a notice on the block, write the newspaper, call the radio station, (temporarily) ‘take the animal in’ -do ANYTHING you’re able, to put their owners’ “not knowing” to rest! They (the pets) are victims too! And MEAN SO MUCH to their owners!
PLEASE be a “good neighbour”! …a good PERSON!!
P.S. -(…Could “live traps” be used? -And closely monitored.)
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