Investigators are hunting for clues to what caused a fire that engulfed the Tudor House Pub on Tuesday, leaving a charred shell and fond memories of its pivotal role in Equimalt’s political and social life.
The landmark, home to soldiers and sailors over two world wars — and the birthplace of Esquimalt township — was reduced to teetering walls and ashes as flames swallowed the wood-frame building.
No one was injured, but about two dozen people lost their jobs and the municipality lost a setting that was a rite of passage for military recruits, a meeting place for locals, a post-shift hangout for dockyard workers and a stage for bands.
The building at Esquimalt and Admirals roads was built in 1902 and opened May 5, 1904. Eight years later, in 1912, the municipality was incorporated in its dining hall.
“Before Esquimalt, there was the Tudor House Pub,” said Mike Holmes, who was the operating partner of Tudor House for 14 years until 2008, when he sold his interest to business partner Greg Dumas. His nephew, Tim Dumas, was the general manager. The Dumas family did not return calls.
B.C. government documents show the property is jointly owned by Dirty Digger Holdings Ltd. (formerly known as Jadwiga Holdings) and Rambo Management Ltd. The assessed value of the building is $2.588 million, B.C. Assessment records say. The property covers 45,813 square feet.
Holmes said there were no fires when he owned the property, but he knew that if the building did spark, it would likely be devastating.
“Fire inspectors always said it’s a solid-wood structure and when this thing goes up, it will be a surround-and-drown,” said Holmes, referring to the way firefighters would have to deal with a fire.
Built with old-growth fir, the building had six storeys with multiple half-levels including a basement, numerous nooks and crannies, a turret and wooden stairs. During the fire, the pub’s distinctive tower served as a chimney for smoke. “There were too many cavities for fire to lurk in,” Holmes said.
There was no sprinkler system, he said. However, there were heat sensors and smoke alarms in every room wired into a fire panel at the front of the building that was linked to the fire department, he said. Still, the building could not be saved.
Daylen Cossette-Bourassa, 25, who lives in a third-floor condo across the street, heard fire trucks about 2:30 a.m.
“I went on my balcony to film it and, at one point, the fire was so intense I felt my skin was burning.”
Firefighters and cleanup crews were on the scene most of the day, and some adjacent streets were closed until about 6:30 p.m. as hazardous remnants of the structure were torn down.
Esquimalt Fire Rescue Chief Dave Ward said the fire likely started in the front and spread. The building was engulfed in flames when Esquimalt firefighters arrived. They were assisted by the Department of National Defence. Heavy smoke blanketed the neighbourhood, and nearby buildings were evacuated for several hours.
“It was free burning. The older materials had a lot to do with the speed of the fire,” Ward said.
Firefighters were also called to the pub in mid-June because of reports of smoke, but they did not find anything, Ward said.
For Kathy Hanlon, who has lived in Esquimalt since 1985, Tudor House was more than a bar and restaurant. She met her late husband there.
“It’s a meeting place for all sorts of people, where you’d come to catch up on latest news from the sailors and meet old friends,” Hanlon said. “We had a lot of good times there.”
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said the loss of Tudor House is being felt throughout the township. It held council meetings before becoming a pub, she said.
“Our thoughts are with those owners. At this point they are probably numb, and rightly so, so the community will be supportive in any way we can be and in time, once the fire investigation has occurred and they start to clean up, then I think people will see the other side, which is the opportunity,” Desjardins said.
Wednesday traffic note: With demolition and fire crews continuing to work at the site of the Tudor House fire, Admirals Road is closed between Esquimalt Road and Lyall Street. The one-block section of road will be open to local traffic only for the remainder of the day.
With a file from Carla Wilson
View Tudor House Neighborhood Pub in a larger map
