A major fire destroyed one of the most prestigious military buildings of Quebec City on the night of Friday, April 4.
The call came in at 9:28 p.m. for a reported structure fire. At this time, the fire dispatch was receiving numerous calls. Upon arrival, the first district chief transmitted the second, third and fourth alarm simultaneously.
The "Manège Militaire de Québec" was built in 1885 and was planned by E.E. Taché. It was built for military and civilian purposes. Today, the building is still used for military purposes. It is important to mention that the "Régiment des Voltigeurs" wich housed the building, was founded in 1862 and is one of the most prestigious of the province of Quebec.
Because of the risk of a major collapse, the chiefs on scene ordered defensives operations on the building. Several deck guns and masters streams were put in operation. The hard work of the Quebec City firefighters did not stop the fire and unfortunatly, a majority of the building collapsed.
The fire brought to the scene approximately 125 firefighters and 25 pieces of apparatus.
This is a sad lost for the Canadian Armed Forces, the City of Quebec and its people. The City of Quebec is celebrating its 400th anniversary this summer.
