Fire has reduced a once-stately residential structure in the east end of St. John’s to a pile of ash and rubble.
The blaze broke out just before 3:00 this morning but was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived even though only about 30 seconds had elapsed between the time the call came in and their arrival. Kent’s Pond is only a few doors down.
A taxi driver spotted smoke and called 9-1-1.
Platoon Chief Mike Hall says it was a defensive effort from the start as it was clear that the massive 3-storey building was going up in flames.
Bryn Mawr, or Baird Cottage, was over 100 years old and located off New Cove Road. Hall says they had to spray down nearby buildings as it was like a roaring bonfire with heavy smoke. In fact, had the wind been going in a different direction, toward the Tiffany apartments, Hall says they would have been evacuating senior citizens in the middle of the night.
RNC fire investigators are on the scene.
Earlier Story:
Fire broke out at about 3:00 this morning at a historic residential building in the east end of St. John’s.
Baird Cottage—also known as Bryn Mawr—at New Cove Road/Portugal Cove Road has been the source of controversy the past few years because of its heritage designation. That limits the potential uses of the property.
Firefighters had the blaze under control in short order but there has been significant damage to the heritage structure.
The RNC closed that section of New Cove Road because of the fire.