Blackstock Arena back in action after brief closure due to fire

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

SCUGOG: Programming at Blackstock Arena was briefly disrupted last week after a small fire broke out, on the exterior of the Church Street facility, on Monday, November 17th. At approximately 5 p.m., Scugog Fire, supported by Uxbridge Fire and Durham Regional Police, responded to reports of a fire on the building's outside wall.

The blaze was quickly brought under control. Early assessments indicated while the fire was contained to the exterior, some localized interior smoke and water damage occurred in the ice pad area. Township staff immediately coordinated repair and remediation efforts, including electricians and contractors, who were on-site the following day, to assess the full extent of the work required.

As a precaution, the ice pad was temporarily closed, while the damage was evaluated and repairs began. The rest of the facility remained open, while the Township notified ice user groups of the disruption.

Scugog Fire Chief, Mike Matthews, praised the swift actions of staff and firefighters, noting, the outcome could have been much more serious. “A very serious fire was avoided, due to Township staff, on site at the Blackstock Arena, becoming aware of a potential fire and calling 911,” he said. “Our crews arrived on scene and quickly went to work containing the fire and limiting damage. Through all of these efforts, recognizing an issue and early notification of 911, Blackstock Arena is expected to be back in use for our community in a short amount of time.”

By Wednesday, November 19th, the Township provided an encouraging update. Staff reported, crews were repairing the small area where the fire originated, working on the ice surface, and verifying the fire panel system was fully operational. “A heartfelt thanks to all who are working to get the facility operational quickly,” the update read. A further announcement was promised for later in the week.

That announcement came sooner than many expected. On the afternoon of Friday, November 21, the Township confirmed that Blackstock Arena had officially reopened.