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Historic Cambridge building burns down in dramatic boxing day blaze

Cambridge loses another heritage building in downtown Galt as the Peter Hay Knife building burns down

Another prominent Galt building has become the casualty of a fire that will force crews to dismantle the charred remains. 

The old Peter Hay Knife building at 43 Victoria Ave. has burned down after an early morning Boxing Day fire. 

Video and photos provided by witnesses show first responders being on the scene around 5 a.m. on Dec. 26. The City of Cambridge noted that there were no injuries and the fire is not being investigated as suspicious.  

The fire has decimated the building and construction crews are currently taking down the rest of the burnt structure.

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Workers can be seen setting up fencing and getting ready to remove the rest of the burnt structure. Joe McGinty/CambridgeToday

This is not the first time the building has had a visit from CFD as they also responded to a massive fire in June.

At the time, deputy fire chief for the Cambridge Fire Department, Brad Churchill noted that the property was vacant and was caused by an unattended open fire. 

There were no injuries and the fire caused around $50,000 in damages. 

43 Victoria Ave. is considered a heritage property, first opened in the late 1800s by Scottish immigrant and knife maker Peter Hay.  

The Peter Hay Knife building is another prominent building that burned down in the downtown core after the Dickson Bowl building collapsed during a fire in March 2023. 


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Joe McGinty

About the Author: Joe McGinty

Joe McGinty is a multimedia journalist who covers local news in the Cambridge area. He is a graduate of Conestoga College and began his career as a freelance journalist at CambridgeToday before joining full time.
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