Can it be saved? National Defence says 'resources' needed to assess fire damage

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National Defence calls the fire at its historic Garrison Building in downtown Fredericton “tragic” and that it “will need to invest resources” to determine what it plans to do next, but did not say if it planned to save it. 

“The department will need to invest resources towards assessing the structure and determining a way forward,” National Defence spokesperson Kened Sadiku said in an emailed statement. 

Sadiku said the department was “saddened” to learn of the fire March 12 that damaged the wooden structure next to the armoury. It was built in 1832 to store militia equipment and later served as an armoury caretaker’s home and a hospital. It’s one of a few surviving military buildings from the city’s colonial era and the only wooden one in the Garrison District. 

Most recently, DND was leasing the building to the City of Fredericton for municipal tourism offices. 

“The potential loss of this building is tragic,” Sadiku wrote. 

The Fredericton Police Force has taken over the fire investigation after it was deemed suspicious. Police said they were searching for a “person of interest” and released a blurry photo of someone wearing a blue Adidas hoodie behind what appeared to be the Garrison District building. 

Fredericton Fire Department assistant deputy chief Dave McKinley said last week it’s hard to say if the building is a complete loss. He said the fire was contained mostly to the upstairs and attic space, but the lower levels sustained extensive water damage. 

“The building is more than 150 years old and was built with heavy-timber construction,” he said at the time. “Those buildings are more resilient than the lightweight construction of modern buildings. It’s possible more so than a modern building that it could be saved.” 

Fredericton Heritage Trust president Jeremy Mouat had also said he hopes the building can be restored because it honours the Fredericton region’s “long relationship” with the military dating back to when it was settled by Empire Loyalists following the U.S. Revolutionary War.