The Emslie Street Fire
There was a devastating fire on Emslie Street at the corner of Broadway at the old St. Ann’s School on January 15, 2026. At the time the fire started I was watching television at about 3:00 p.m. and I heard several fire trucks coming down the street. At first, I did not think too much about it because we often have a number of fire trucks coming down our street. However, several fire trucks were coming down the street at a fast pace. I went to the door and looked down the street toward Broadway, and what I saw stunned me.
I stood on my porch, and I saw flames shooting high up into the sky. They were extremely high and bright orange. The St. Ann’s school has stood on the corner of Emslie behind the St. Ann’s church for many years, as long as I have lived on the street. It was a very historical church. Many of the neighbors talked about how it was a mainstay of the community for many years. Seeing the school go up into flames was very sad. There were so many memories there for numerous people.
I live at the corner down the street. My oldest granddaughter attended and graduated from the St. Ann’s school, and I attended her 8th grade graduation, which was a beautiful ceremony. All of the students wore uniforms. My oldest daughter went there in grade school. It was a good school, graduating many students over the years. Many people interviewed after fire recalled memories of the school. Even if they did not go there, they knew someone who did. It was a part of the community for over 30 years. We just were so used to seeing the building for a very long time. There is something missing now.
According to news reports, there were no injuries or deaths. However, the fire left a lot of destruction and cleanup is ongoing. The street was cut off while the inspection and debris were collected. Many people who have lived here much longer than myself spoke with a great deal of sadness of the fire. I was glad to hear the Mayor say that the city plans to hold the owners responsible for the cleanup rather than put it on the taxpayers. The church needs some repairs as well.
It was once an active church with services on Sunday and sometimes during the week. Across the street there were businesses and a few shops. There was a vibrant neighborhood until people started to move out during the pandemic. There was a school across the street where students were active, and the teachers would take them for a walk daily crossing the street right in front of the church and school. A stop sign was put there to caution drivers.
The one thing that did happen to affect my close neighbors was that the power was cut off for a while the fires were raging. The lines were down. Many of us on the side near Peckham lost power. I lost heat for a time during the night. However, the good news is that I did not lose my lights because I had a stock of battery-operated lanterns that I keep for an emergency. I wasn’t in the dark, but I was worried about not having heat. The power came back on the next day. National Grid kept in contact with us by cell to give us updates when the power would be on. It took several hours but I breathed a sigh of relief when the electricity came back on. We take electricity for granted but it affects everything.
I was uncomfortable without it for several hours. I am thinking about all of the millions of people around the country in this cold weather who will be without power for several days. My prayers go out to them. I hope that their power will be restored shortly. I will give updates on the fire on Emslie in the next few weeks. The blessing is that no lives were lost. To God Be the Glory!!