Over the weekend, two consecutive fires occurred at the location of a former downtown brewery in London, set for demolition on Monday. The London Fire Department has stated that they are not treating the fires as suspicious incidents. Firefighters responded to a fire at 197 Ann Street early Sunday morning, near the Richmond Street train tracks, which resulted in significant damage to the historic building that once housed the Kent Brewery.
Platoon chief Brent Shea mentioned that the crews were initially called at 2:30 a.m. due to reports of smoke in the area. Upon arrival, they found smoke and flames visible from all sides of the building and through the roof of the rear section. Shea also revealed that there was a smaller fire in one of the rooms the day before, and no individuals were found inside the building during either incident.
The fire department does not suspect criminal activity or arson in relation to the fires and will not conduct further investigations due to the planned demolition of the site. Shea explained that the building’s owners have been in the process of removing components, as the structure has been targeted by trespassers.
Shea speculated that both fires were likely accidentally started, possibly by individuals attempting to keep warm. The Kent Brewery, constructed in 1859 as the city’s third-largest brewery, ceased operations in 1916 due to prohibition. Despite being designated a heritage site three years prior, the brewery was approved for demolition in June for the development of a 22-storey student apartment building with 214 units. Advocates had previously fought to preserve the historic building, but the decision to demolish it was upheld, with the neighboring property at 179 Ann Street already demolished in November.
