Community members are rallying around the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Rothesay.
Its building on Marr Road in Rothesay suffered extensive damage in a fire late last week.
Brian Eisan, president of the Kennebecasis Branch 58, said nearly everything inside was destroyed.
“We did salvage some pictures and some stuff, but there is a lot of damage that we won’t be able to recover because it’s stuff that’s been passed down through the Legion for a long time,” Eisan said in an interview.
The Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department was called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
“When we arrived on the scene, we found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building,” Deputy Chief Shawn White said in an interview.
Crews were able to quickly enter the building and put out the fire, said White, but firefighters did have to cut a hole in the roof for ventilation.
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The building was also home to several businesses but they did not sustain any damage, according to Eisan.
Eisan said the fire is a “bit of a setback” for the Legion, which was just getting back on its feet from the pandemic.
“We were doing our brunches twice a month, we’re having catering, we’re doing lunches, poker on Thursday nights, we had shuffleboard going,” he said.
But the biggest concern for Eisan and his members was the annual lobster supper set for June 24.
The fundraiser, which was going to be held at the Legion branch, is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year.
Eisan said the Town of Rothesay quickly stepped up and allowed them to use the Bill McGuire Centre.
“The community has been really supportive,” he said. “Other Legions in the area have offered their space also for any events we want to host.”
What comes next for the Legion and its Marr Road building is still up in the air at this point.
Eisan said they are waiting for their insurance company to assess the extent of the damage.
“The structure of the building is OK as far as we know, it’s just the contents inside the building that are totally ruined,” he said.
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