Fire destroys historic landmark in Wetaskiwin

What used to be a historic landmark in Wetaskiwin, about an hour south of Edmonton, is now a pile of rubble.

The Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre, a community hub for nearly 80 years, was completely destroyed to the ground in a fire over the weekend.

“Flames coming out of the roof, and fire trucks everywhere,” said Rod Bleakney, the owner of Community Pharmacy.

“When I saw the flames going up to the roof, I knew there was no hope for this building,” said Dale Unland, president of the Wetaskiwin Theatre Society.

The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. A spokesperson for the City of Wetaskiwin says 15 crews were called, along with firefighters from the Millet Fire Department.

Fire crews worked through the night. The fire was contained around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

An investigation into the blaze is ongoing.

Residents are devastated to see the landmark destroyed.

“There’s a lot of history in here,” said Dan Anderson. “It’s pretty sad. We got married there. Our kids got married there. Any event that was being held in Wetaskiwin was at this place years ago.”

The Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre was built in 1947. It hosted events like weddings, funerals, fundraisers and more.

“When my wife passed away, she didn’t want a funeral,” Bleakney said. “She just wanted a celebration of life and that’s where we did it. That was the first thing that went through my mind too, ‘well that’s gone too.’”

Staff at the nearby Manluk Theatre for the Performing Arts say they’re grateful the fire didn’t impact their building.

“(We were) very worried about the building and the theatre,” Unland said. “I’ll tell you what, the first responders were awesome on this.”

The now destroyed building has been empty for a couple of years. Residents say while the building is now gone, the memories will stay forever.

“As sad as it is to see the building’s gone, all our memories are still intact and that’s what we have to go on with,” said Bleakney.