‘We lost a lot of history’: Fire destroys Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre

As Nicole Lampa reports, the Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre w asdestroyed in a fire on Sunday.

A former community hub was destroyed in a fire in Wetaskiwin over the weekend.

As of Sunday afternoon, the old Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre was reduced to rubble. Emergency services have asked that residents avoid the area.

RCMP say they were on the scene at a fire in the 5200 block of 50 Street on Sunday at 10:15 a.m.

Mayor Joe Branco was married at the centre, so were his sons.

“There were a lot of good times for our community,” Branco told CTV News Edmonton. “We lost a lot of history.”

Built in 1947, the Wetaskiwin Memorial Arts Centre hosted hundreds of events from weddings to fundraisers. The city sold the building in 2024 to a daycare operator that was in the process of renovating the space.

“You never want to see a business closed down this way, even before it started,” said Branco.

Kelly Wolden was at a steak night event at the neighbouring legion when the fire broke out.

“In the beginning, it was just a lot of smoke ... It took a long for the flames to actually come out,” said Wolden, who was among several others who watched the fire Saturday night.

Before the current legion building was built, members used the basement of the Memorial Arts Centre as a gathering place.

Jodi Eaton said the building was still standing around 11 p.m. Saturday and that she was surprised to see it completely destroyed by Sunday morning.

“It must have been a very long night, considering what it looks like today,” said Eaton.

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to RCMP and fire services for more information on the fire.

Wetaskiwin is about 65 kilometres south of Edmonton.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti