Fire Destroys Century Old Markham Pub
Posted November 30, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Fire crews battled and put out a stubborn blaze at a pub in Unionville early Friday.
Markham Fire officials received a call just before 9am that a blaze had broken out at “Unionville Arms” at 189 Main Street. The entire establishment, reportedly almost 100-years-old, was gutted.
Needless to say, the news was a real blow to the owners and many patrons that frequented the bar over the years.
“We’ve been here going on 19 years, it’s a local landmark,” said owner Paul Vasilovsky. “You look out here and you see all the people. I mean, everyone’s in shock. Everyone’s coming up to us and saying that they’re so sorry.”
Leafs’ announcer Joe Bowen was taking his son to daycare when he spotted the blaze at his favourite local haunt.
“[It’s] pretty sad. [The owners are] good friends and they’re good people and they do an awful lot of work in the community, and it’s the focal point of the street,” he said. “I know that they’ll rebuild it but it’s a tough day for everybody,” he said.
Luckily, everyone that was inside the pub when the flames broke out, including the owner’s father, made it out safely.
Investigators believe the fire started in a storage shed at the back of the eatery but they’re still trying to determine exactly what caused it.
