Huron Expositor, 2007-11-28, Page 111
News
The Huron Expositor • November 28, 2007 Page 11
Brodhagen Hall goes up in flames Saturday
Community had just celebrated the hall's 50th anniversary earlier this year
Brian Shy•pula
giiiiMEMOMMO
A focal point for the small
West Perth community of
Brodhagen went up in flames `-
Saturday night.
The Brodhagen Community
Centre — simply "the Hall" to
locals who held hundreds of
dances, family reunions, wed
ding receptions, chicken dinner
fundraisers and euchre nights
there over five decades — was
destroyed by fire in a loss esti-
mated at more than $500,000.
About 45 people at a company
Christmas party had to rush out
of the building that quickly
filled with smoke.
"They got out in time —
nobody was hurt," said Ken
Rose, owner of Rose
Construction, who was hosting
a Christmas party for employ-
ees, spouses and the people the
company built homes for this
year.
They were just sitting down to
The building was owned and
insured by the municipality.
The service club looked after
the operation and upkeep.
Beuermann said he thinks a
new hall should be built
because the community needs
it.
"What do we do around
here? We can't always' drive to
Mitchell and Seaforth and
Stratford to do stuff," he said.
"Everybody wants me to
have a meeting," he added.
Mayor Van Bakel said the
need for a community centre
-in Brodhagen will have to be
assessed.
"It'stoo early to speculate
what will happen," he said.
Meantime, Rose was arrang-
ing to have some of the party-
goers' vehicles towed this
morning because their keys
were presumably destroyed in
the fire.
Chief Anderson, who came
submitted photo from Petrolia to take over the
dinner when the lower level of West Perth and Monkton firefighters battle the blaze at the Brodhagen Hall on Saturday night. post in West Perth in
the two-storey hall filled with
smoke. In the rush to get out some
didn't have time to get their jackets
and car keys, he said today.
"It just happened so fast. Within
minutes the place was right full of
smoke ... and everybody just ran,"
he said.
Flames were coming out the win-
dows and doors of the building
when firefighters with the West
Perth Fire Department in Mitchell
arrived in response to the 6:59 p.m.
alarm, Chief Walt Anderson said.
Firefighters from Monkton were
called for mutual aid to help fight
the blaze.
The fire crews were on the scene
until nearly 2 a.m.
The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office
was notified because the loss is esti-
mated at more the $500,000. The
fire is not suspicious, Chief
Anderson said, although the cause
has yet to be determined.
"We know it started in the base -
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ment area," he said.
The building'slower level housed
an electrical room, the furnace and
a kitchen, he said.
West Perth Mayor John Van
Bakel lives a short walk from the
hall. He was . among members of the
community who tried to make their
way there after learning it was on
fire. Police held them back, con-
cerned that six propane tanks on
the property could explode.
There was shock, disbelief and
sadness, he said.
"Everybody felt the same — it was
just the history going up in smoke,"
he said.
A steady stream of people went to
survey the burnt-out building
Sunday.
Don Beuermann, president of the
Brodhagen Chamber of Commerce
which built the hall 50 years ago,
said the loss hadn't sunk in yet.
The service club just celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the start of
the hall project this year.
Longtime member. Bill Siemon
built a cabinet to hold old photos of
the club's presidents- and other his-
torical moments captured on film,
including the sod turning and con-
struction of the building.
"Of course nobody takes prints.
You don't think of that stuff until
it's all gone," Beuermann said.
September following the
death of former chief Bill Elliott
earlier this year, said he was struck
by the number of people from the
community coming to survey the
loss.
"It was just a steady stream of
people coming and sharing their
stories," he said.
By coincidence, the municipality
had put in a 45,000 -litre water stor-
age tank in the hall's parking lot for
firefighting purposes just a week
ago because ponds used previously
are drying up.
"It came in handy," Chief
Anderson said.
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