On February 3, 1916, a fire broke out in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill, destroying most of the building. Quick-thinking parliamentary staff acted to protect as much of the country's history and archives as possible, without whom the fire would have been far more devastating.
A rendition of the Centre Block as it would have appeared during the Great Fire of 1916.
February 3, 1916
The House of Commons is holding an evening sitting.
February 4, 1916
The ceremonial mace, which must be kept atop the clerks' table during each sitting of the House, was destroyed in the fire. The ceremonial mace is a symbol of the authority of the Crown for the House to meet, and the House is not properly constituted unless the mace is present. In order to ensure that the House could continue to meet, the Senate lent its own ceremonial mace to the House.
The House then borrowed the ceremonial mace from the Ontario legislature, until a temporary wooden mace could be fashioned. On every February 3, the anniversary of the fire, the House meets in the presence of that wooden mace, in commemoration of the fire.
The temporary, replacement mace fashioned out of wood after the fire.
The shutting of the iron doors to the Library of Parliament is largely thought to be the reason that the library was not destroyed in the fire along with the rest of the building. Senate staff also acted quickly to save pieces of invaluable art work, such as the portrait in the Senate foyer of Queen Victoria.
Click here to view an infographic of the fire's timeline.
Source: Library and Archives Canada (here)
A rendition of the Centre Block as it would have appeared during the Great Fire of 1916.
February 3, 1916
The House of Commons is holding an evening sitting.
- 8:55 p.m. - A fire starts in the reading room.
- 8:59 p.m. - The first fire engine arrives on Parliament Hill; the roof is already engulfed.
- 9:00 p.m. - Chief doorkeeper announces the fire to the House, and starts the evacuation.
- 9:01 p.m. - Librarian sends staff to close the iron doors to the Library of Parliament.
- 9:02 p.m. - Fire surrounds the House of Commons chamber.
- 9:07 p.m. - Speaker Sévigny reaches his suite to help his wife and children to escape.
- 9:20 p.m. - Members of the 77th Battalion arrive on Parliament Hill to assist rescue efforts.
- 10:15 p.m. - Fire reaches the Library and sweeps the centre of the building.
- 11:30 p.m. - Cabinet meets to determine how to continue the work of Parliament.
February 4, 1916
- 12:00 a.m. - Victoria Tower bell crashes at midnight.
- 12:45 a.m. - Fire approaches the Senate side of the building.
- 2:00 a.m. - Fire is at last brought under control.
- 10:00 a.m. - Fire flares up in the east wing of the building.
- 3:00 p.m. - House of Commons reconvenes in the Victoria Memorial Museum.
- 8:00 p.m. - The last flare-up of the fire is easily defeated.
The ceremonial mace, which must be kept atop the clerks' table during each sitting of the House, was destroyed in the fire. The ceremonial mace is a symbol of the authority of the Crown for the House to meet, and the House is not properly constituted unless the mace is present. In order to ensure that the House could continue to meet, the Senate lent its own ceremonial mace to the House.
The House then borrowed the ceremonial mace from the Ontario legislature, until a temporary wooden mace could be fashioned. On every February 3, the anniversary of the fire, the House meets in the presence of that wooden mace, in commemoration of the fire.
The temporary, replacement mace fashioned out of wood after the fire.
The shutting of the iron doors to the Library of Parliament is largely thought to be the reason that the library was not destroyed in the fire along with the rest of the building. Senate staff also acted quickly to save pieces of invaluable art work, such as the portrait in the Senate foyer of Queen Victoria.
Click here to view an infographic of the fire's timeline.
Source: Library and Archives Canada (here)