Fire destroys former home of St. Catharines newspaper

Firefighters douse hot spots of a fire that destroyed the former home of the St. Catharines Standard newspaper, in this handout photo, in St. Catharines, Ont., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - X, City of St. Catharines (Mandatory Credit) (HO)

ST. CATHARINES — A fire has destroyed the former home of the St. Catharines Standard newspaper, a landmark building that stood at the heart of the city’s downtown.

The fire broke out Friday night and was extinguished late Saturday afternoon, a representative of the City of St. Catharines said in a statement. The blaze began on the upper floor of the building at 17 Queen St. and spread to other areas, eventually causing part of the roof to collapse, it said.

Firefighters used an excavator to open up parts of the building so they could douse some of the hot spots that continued to burn, the city said.

Due to the structural damage and unsafe conditions, a decision was made in consultation with the Office of the Fire Marshal to forgo an investigation and classify the cause of the fire as undetermined, the city said.

No injuries were reported and there is no damage estimate available at this time, it said.

The St. Catharines Standard, which also reported on the fire, said the building has been vacant since the paper moved in 2013.

Kat Dodge, executive director of the St. Catharines Downtown Association, said the building has been a part of the downtown landscape since the late 1800s and remained “recognizable and meaningful” to many in the community even after it became vacant.

“We’ve been hearing all weekend from people who have worked there or who grew up with parents working there and have memories of running through the halls,” Dodge said.

“Our longtime business owners remember when the Standard was the heartbeat of the city. There’s just so many memories and nostalgia centred around the Standard building, so it’s a big piece of history here in the downtown core.”

“It’s a huge loss to the downtown,” she said, adding it’s too early to say whether any of the building’s architectural elements will be preserved.

The impact of the fire has so far been more emotional than operational, she said, since the flames were contained to the building and fire officials determined the smoke did not pose a safety risk for the public.

Two side streets were shut down but the majority of downtown businesses were able to stay open, Dodge said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.