The fire took place on Saturday, destroying the former London Psychiatric Hospital.

VIDEO: Caelan Beard reports from London Psychiatric Hospital

Caelan Beard and Rebecca Asselstine | London, Ont. | March 22, 2023

A fire broke out on Saturday, destroying a recreation hall at the formerly occupied London Psychiatric Hospital.

Although the hospital was no longer in use at the time of the fire, the destruction is a devastating blow.

The former building was a heritage site, and losing it means another loss of a piece of London’s history.

An advisor of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario’s London branch, Joe O’Neil, told CBC: “It’s a running joke in the heritage community that if you want to see a building going up in flames, give it a heritage designation and sit back and watch.”

Fire crews were called to the site at around 6p.m, and continued fighting the fire for several hours.

The flames are now out and Old Oak has big plans for the site, which is one of the biggest developments in London.

The plans include seven towers, mid-rise buildings and residential spaces.

Originally, the Heritage buildings on-site were going to act as a focal point of the development. Old Oak will continue one building short.

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