Centretown in Ottawa, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Parliament Fire

Photographed By Robert Rusaw, October 3, 2022

1. Parliament Fire Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

After the burning of the Parliament Buildings on the night of 3rd February, 1916, The House of Commons assembled in this building on the 4th and The Senate on the 8th February. Parliament met here for the last time on 10th November, 1919, and assembled for the first time in the rebuilt Parliament Buildings on 26th February, 1920.

• • •

Apres l'incendie des édifices du parlement dans la nuit du fevrier, 1916, la Chambre des Communes se reunit dans cet edifice le 4 et le Sénat le 8 de se mois. Le Parlement siège a ici pour la dernière fois le 10 novembre 1919, et il se reunit rour la première fois dans les edifices reconstruits du Parlement le 26 fevrier, 1920.

Erected by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Disasters • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 3, 1916.

Location. 45° 24.775′ N,

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75° 41.324′ W. Marker is in Ottawa, Ontario. It is in Centretown. Marker can be reached from McLeod Street. Marker is located next to the entrance to the Museum of Nature. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ottawa ON K2P 0Z8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Diamond Jenness (here, next to this marker); Victoria Memorial Museum Building (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Woolly Mammoth / Le mammouth laineux (about 90 meters away); John Macoun (about 150 meters away); John R. Booth Residence / La Résidence de John R. Booth (approx. half a kilometer away); Marion Dewar Plaza (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); The Gouzenko Affair / L’Affaire Gouzenko (approx. one kilometer away); Igor Gouzenko (approx. one kilometer away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ottawa.

Also see . . . Remembering the Fire of 1916 (House of Commons).

Overview:… The story of the fire, which occurred in the third year of the First World War, is a national tragedy. It started when a small fire was discovered in a wastepaper basket in the original Reading Room. The alarm was sounded at 8:57 p.m., while the House of Commons was still in session. Despite attempts to extinguish the fire, it spread rapidly. Within an hour the center of the entire Parliament Building was a raging inferno; by midnight, the
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Victoria Tower, was consumed in flames. The following morning Canadians were greeted by an ice covered smouldering ruin where their once majestic Parliament Building had stood. Only the Library of Parliament, due to the presence of an iron fire door, which had been closed by a Librarian, and the successful attempts of the firefighting crews remained intact.

(Submitted on March 12, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2023, by Robert Rusaw of Massena, New York. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 13 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on March 8, 2023, by Robert Rusaw of Massena, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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