Historic Ontario library clock tower expected to re-open this weekend after lightning strike

Recovery efforts are well underway and the public re-opening of the historic Uxbridge Public Library is expected this weekend after the building’s clock tower – one of the oldest in Canada – was struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon.

The tower was struck just after 4 p.m. on July 21 and firefighters responded quickly to douse the flames and township staff moved even faster to evacuate both employees and a group of children participating in a library camper program.

Uxbridge Mayor Dave Barton said there were no injuries and praised library staff who safely evacuated staff and campers to town hall.

“Our firefighters responded quickly and extinguished the fire and library staff did an outstanding job moving everyone safely out of the building,” he said. “The library campers were brought over to council chambers, where they kept busy doing crafts until their parents arrived.”

Fire crews were able douse the flames before significant damage occurred and no injuries were reported.

Since then, recovery efforts have been initiated as township and library staff, alongside key partners, work to restore the facility, according to a news release from the township. The library remains temporarily closed while recovery work continues.

Structural inspections and assessments have confirmed there are no significant structural concerns and the building has been deemed safe for re-entry. The fire caused damage to the exterior shingles on the library’s clock tower and the affected area has been temporarily tarped to protect the building while permanent repairs are coordinated and completed.

Firefighters were at the library working alongside the township insurance contractor to install a more permanent cap on the damaged tower to help protect the building until repairs can begin.

Additional inspections of internal assets and building systems will continue over the next few days.

As soon as connectivity services are re-established, the library will reopen to the public. Staff are “hopeful” this will occur this weekend,” Barton said.

Children involved in the library camp program who were in the building when lightning struck spent Wednesday in the council chambers, learning a little bit about municipal politics and a lot more on fire safety after Clinton Harper from Uxbridge Fire paid the kids a visit.

“One of the highlights of the day was a visit from Firefighter Clinton, one of the first firefighters on scene yesterday. He spent time with the campers talking about fire prevention, what to do in an emergency, and congratulated the kids on how well they did evacuating the library so quickly and calmly yesterday,” Barton said.

Updates on the library’s reopening will be shared as more information becomes available and Barton thanked residents for their “patience and understanding” as work continues to safely restore library services.

“It’s been a challenging couple of days, but once again our community has stepped up. Thank you to our library staff, firefighters, township staff, volunteers, parents and everyone who has helped make the best of a difficult situation.”

Uxbridge CAO Kristi Peshal Honey said the incident was a “reminder” why staff prepare for such emergencies.

“This is not a drill,” she said on the township socials. “When a fire was discovered in the library clock tower after lightning struck, everyone responded exactly as they had trained to do. Our library staff calmly and safely evacuated the building in accordance with our emergency response plans.”

“It takes an entire organization working together to respond well to an unexpected event, and tonight every part of that orchestra played its role.”

The Uxbridge Public Library Clock Tower, built in 1887, was given a freshen up last year with significant restoration work to preserve its historic charm.

The original clock, purchased in 1887 for $315 from Seth Thomas Clocks and Movements of Connecticut, has remained in operation ever since.

The clock tower is older than the iconic Peace Tower in Ottawa – featured prominently on the Canadian $20 bill – which dates to 1916 after a fire destroyed the original and even predates the National Assembly of Quebec clock tower by a year.

Photo by Andrew Dickinson