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'priceless' group of seven art lost in 4-alarm blaze at historic st. anne's church
fire crews had extinguished the main body of a four-ala...
jun 9 2024
2 minute read
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fire crews had extinguished the main body of a four-alarm blaze on sunday morning that caused extensive damage to st. anne’s anglican church, a national historic site that contained the “priceless” works of “prominent canadian artists” including the group of seven.
toronto police said on x at about 8 a.m. that they had received reports of a fire at the church on gladstone ave., west of downtown, and that windows were breaking and heavy smoke was coming from the building.
a lot of sadness of the loss of st. anne’s which is still burning. pic.twitter.com/be6nytumr9
— joe warmington (@joe_warmington) june 9, 2024
police said about an hour later that the fire had been upgraded to a four-alarm blaze, but no injuries had been reported. there were “numerous” road closures in the area as well.
toronto fire also said on x that some adjoining buildings had been evacuated as a “safety precaution.
“main body of fire knocked down with crews extinguishing spot fires,” the service’s x account posted just before 10 a.m. “no injuries. expect crews and traffic to remain on scene. avoid the area where possible.”
this is an amazing video by mark mazurek shot at 847 am of st. anne’s church that was destroyed. pic.twitter.com/xkvvmdffgx
— joe warmington (@joe_warmington) june 9, 2024
toronto fire spokesperson capt. deepak chagger said the fire had been downgraded to below a two-alarm incident by the early afternoon and investigators had been “engaged” to determine the cause of the blaze.
there was no timeline on how long the investigation will take, chagger said.
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toronto police and the office of the fire marshal and emergency management are also probing the incident with police opening an online portal where people can upload videos or photos to assist investigators.
firefighters work to put out a blaze at st. anne’s anglican church in toronto’s west end on sunday, june 9, 2024.
cole burston
/
the canadian press
but chagger said the church’s roof was destroyed and the interior was “completely involved,” although the exterior walls were still standing. there was also “no indication that anything was saved” inside the building.
st. anne’s, a byzantine revival-style church, was built in the early 1900s and was designated a national historic site in 1996, according to its website. it also contains a “remarkable collection of paintings by prominent canadian artists, including three members of the group of seven.”
early paintings by the group of seven members and other artists were installed along the interior in the 1920s. the murals decorated the chancel and the dome, which was destroyed in the blaze.
a police officer patrols the scene of a fire at st. anne’s anglican church in toronto on sunday, june 9, 2024.
joe warmington
/
toronto sun
father don beyers, rector of st. anne’s, said the “invaluable” works were lost to the flames.
“the artwork was priceless. it was murals, beautiful murals,” he told reporters before hosting a sunday afternoon prayer and counselling service at st. mary magdalene church. “they were stunning.
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“this was the only church that featured artwork by members of the group of seven. and i’m sorry to say that’s been lost, from what i can see.”
the now gutted space also hosted choral performances, meals, musical theatre, film productions, weddings and other special events, as well as providing a place of worship and prayer.
neighbour dave quirk was married to his wife bonnie lee in the church in 2004. she passed away in 2015. he’s thinking of her today. pic.twitter.com/5myxisr5td
— joe warmington (@joe_warmington) june 9, 2024
dave quirk, a neighbour and church-goer who got married at st. anne’s in 2004, said his late wife bonnie lee used to work there and supported the church in any way she could. she would have been devastated by the loss, he added.
“i got a call early it was on fire; it’s devasting,” he said. “nobody in the neigbourhood wants this gone and have it replaced by condos.”
quirk said the group of seven art was “spectacular.
“a huge loss,” he said. “it’s all gone now.”
— with files from joe warmington and the canadian press
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