What was lost - and found - after devastating Brantford club fire

A remarkable discovery was made Thursday at the scene of a devastating fire that destroyed a Brantford club.

Pieces of memorabilia were pulled from the ashes of the fire that tore through the Army Navy & Air Force Club.

The discovery came just as investigators prepared to get down to business to search for a cause.

The blaze gutted the Army Navy and Airforce Club Unit 341, an institution that has been around for more than 60 years.Days after flames ripped through three units of the Mohawk Plaza, the club is still coming to terms with the loss.

“We’re thinking right now of solely trying to recover our valuables and artifacts,” said Logan Webb, president of the Army Navy & Air Force Club.

But not all was lost.

On Thursday, firefighters located a helmet from the 1900’s and a piece of trench art at the edge of the debris.

Webb said it’s hard to accept the fact that a lot of irreplaceable memorabilia is gone forever.

“We had medals from WW1 from members, WW2, Korea and our wall of honour of all the members who have been part of our lives, for part of our history since 1959, it’s all gone,” he said.

“Pictures, documents, our charter, all those people that signed our charter have passed away now,” said Mary Eileen Webb, president of the ladies auxiliary.

The club has been in the building for almost 65 years and is now turning to the community for support. A GoFundMe has been set up to help offset the costs.

“It’s going to be a long road ahead financially for us and being a not-for-profit veterans club, every dollar we had went into the advocacy for veterans and for the continued health of our facility,” Webb explained.

Brantford Fire officials said the investigation into the cause of the fire was delayed due to hot spots that continued to smolder late into Wednesday evening. On Thursday, investigators were on site clearing debris with heavy equipment.

The investigation remains ongoing.