A major fire broke out near a Canadian landmark Friday night consuming the historic Quebec City armoury overlooking the Plains of Abraham. The fire started just after 9:30 p.m. and quickly spread, according chief firefighter Daniel Wagner.
"It's a huge blazing fire that can be seen from almost everywhere in the city," he said. No one was inside the building when the fire started, Wagner added.
More than 100 firefighters were called on the site and less than an hour after the fire started, huge parts of the building, known in French as the Manege militaire, had collapsed.
Before the fire, the building, on the touristy Grande Alle leading into Vieux Quebec, formed part of one the iconic views of Canadiana. Its wooden ceiling was the largest in the country and the armoury's distinctive conical turrets had long been the feature of postcards from one of Canada's most famous military bases.
The hall had been home to the country's oldest French regiment, les Voltigeurs de Quebec Riflemen. Formed in 1862, the regiment fought against Louis Riel's Northwest Rebellion in 1885, as well as both the battles of the Somme and Ypres in the First World War.
Perched above the site the Plains - home to one of the defining battles between the English and French in pre-Canadian North America - and across from Quebec's National Assembly, the drill hall has appeared in countless photos, posters and paintings of the city. It had been home to artifacts from many of the Canadian military's engagements.
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