Never too late to say thanks

Community, businesses, firefighters acknowledged on fire anniversary

The Chester Volunteer Fire Department recently joined with the Chester Playhouse to commemorate the day a fire nearly destroyed the iconic arts venue.

The gathering was also a way to thank about 100 firefighters and 28 vehicles from 18 different fire departments who helped fight the blaze, as well as members of the community and local businesses who lent their support.

On June 11, the fire’s first anniversary, firefighters and community members gathered in Lordly Park in Chester for an event billed as A Day to Say Thank You.

“Help us turn a day of loss into a day of gratitude,” Chester Fire Chief Cody Stevens said in a news release before the event.

As well as a barbecue and live music, firefighters from across the region who responded to the mutual aid request were presented with commemorative T-shirts emblazoned with the inscription From the Ashes We Shall Rise.

“We pulled firefighters from Halifax Regional Station 56 in Black Point, all the way down the shore to Bridgewater, inland to Cornwall and inland to New Ross and everything inward from those points,” Stevens said during a recent interview.

“It was a big fire; 12,000 square feet fully involved. It was an intense scene,” Stevens said.

However, Stevens said crews had the fire under control within 1.5 hours and cleaned up the scene in five hours.

“Mutual aid was the key for the quick knock down,” Stevens said.

“That was a larger fire in our history. And we received a lot of help from outside fire departments, the community, local businesses. And with COVID we weren’t able to say thank you in a normal way,” he said.

During the event, the fire department also presented 13 local businesses and members of the community with its Golden Heart Award, created in 2018 to recognize community members who assist during emergencies.

Stevens said firefighters especially appreciated generous donations of food and beverages from several local business owners used during their rehab period when they have a break and an opportunity to rehydrate and get some nutrition before returning to work.

“We want the community to know just how thankful we are that there was so much support given that day. We would not have had near the success in fighting that fire without the support of everybody that gave it,” Stevens said.

David Robb of Lunenburg received a T-shirt for operating a drone as a member of the Lunenburg and District Fire Department used to check for hotspots after the fire was suppressed.

Robb also received a Golden Heart Award as the owneroperator of Foodland in Chester, which provided drinks and snacks to the firefighters.

“Within the rural areas

people are very generous to fire departments. They appreciate what we do. And they are always there to lend a hand and help when they can,” Robb said.

Robb said firefighters don’t serve the community expecting a pat on the back. But he appreciated the effort put into the event.

“I thought it was a class act for them to thank everybody in the way they did,” Robb said.

Trevor Lohnes is a captain with the Lunenburg and District Fire Department. On the day of the fire, Lohnes led a crew operating a much-needed ladder truck located at the rear of the Playhouse.

Lohnes said he remembers Chester residents expressing gratitude to the crew.

“They thanked us when they were standing there watching the fire. They were thankful we were there because we are the nearest ladder truck to Chester,” Lohnes said.

Andrew Chandler, executive director of the Chester Playhouse, said he was inspired by the efforts to keep everyone safe and minimize damage to nearby structures.

“While a loss, it could have been a lot worse if not for the efforts of so many,” Chandler said.

Chandler was working from home that day and got a text that said the Playhouse was on fire.

“I raced down the street in my car and saw the big plume of smoke and arrived on the scene where many others were already watching the fire billowing out of the windows and doors and consuming so much of the building,” Chandler remembered.

“But I was struck in the moment that it was a beautiful example of what preparedness and training can do. It was moving to witness … these people who had obviously put in the time, the training and planning to deal with an event like this.”

The landmark performing arts venue, which opened in 1938 as a movie house, was nearing the end of a restoration project announced in September 2020 when the fire severally damaged the 22 Pleasant St. location.

Chandler said the estimated $3-million cost of rebuilding the Playhouse is to be covered by funding from three levels of government, insurance proceeds and the ongoing support of individual donors.

“We have a timeline which puts us back in the building next summer,” Chandler said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.