Fire marshal urges prevention after blaze damages two businesses
By Lethbridge Herald on March 10, 2026.
Herald photo by JOE MANIO
The building housing both Andrew Hilton Wine Merchants and the Wooden Shoe Bakery were damaged in an early morning fire Sunday, prompting the fire chief to urge businesses and residents to take measures to reduce ÒopportunisticÓ fire risk.By Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
After a recent string of fires across the city, including an early-morning blaze that damaged two downtown businesses, Lethbridge’s chief fire marshal is urging residents and business owners to reduce the opportunities for fires to start in the first place.
Speaking to reporters on Monday at Fire Hall No. 1, Troy Hicks with Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) says many of the fire crews respond to what the department calls “opportunistic” incidents.
“Sometimes these fires that we have are just opportunistic fires that are there,” Hicks says.
This reminder comes after firefighters were called just after 4 a.m. Sunday to the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street where the building housing Andrew Hilton Wine Merchants and the Wooden Shoe Bakery had caught fire.
Crews arrived and found flames and smoke visible from the rear of the building; where the fire had spread to the roof causing significant damage to both businesses before crews brought it under control.
No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.
Despite the attention surrounding recent incidents, Hicks says the number of fires investigated in Lethbridge thus far this year has not significantly changed compared to previous years.
“The number of fires that have been investigated and events that we’ve had in the city of Lethbridge this year actually aren’t a drastic change from previous years,” he says.
“In 2025 we ended the year on the plus side of 60 structure fires that were investigated here in the city of Lethbridge, and right now we’re in the low teens, so we’re about there.”
Still, Hicks says the visibility of several fires in a short period of time has prompted the department to remind residents and businesses about simple prevention measures.
“If you are out there cleaning up and cleaning your yard, don’t leave it in the alley,” Hicks says. “Don’t leave garbage bins just out in the open where someone could get to them. Keep them out of sight, out of mind.”
Discarded furniture and other large combustible items can also pose a risk if they are left accessible in alleys.
“We had a mattress fire about a week ago,” he says. “Same thing we always say — if you are moving and have a couch, chair, mattress, do not leave it in your alley. The risk is too high.”
Hicks says businesses can also take steps to reduce the risk of fire around their properties by keeping rear areas well lit, removing flammable materials such as cardboard and wooden pallets and ensuring trash bins are secured can all help eliminate easy fuel sources.
“Fires do happen, but when there’s nothing there to burn, fire’s not going to happen,” he says.
Lethbridge Police Services (LPS) are also investigating other recent fire incidents in the city. According to LPS, officers responded around 6:30 a.m. March 5 to a report of a woman trespassing at the Melcor Centre.
Police say the woman was located inside a garbage compactor near the building’s loading dock and arrested. A short time later, flames and smoke were reported coming from the garbage compactor and a nearby compost bin.
Audrey Rae Small Legs, 45, has been charged with two counts of arson with disregard for human life in connection with those fires. Police say she was previously charged with similar offences after a large grass fire near Mountain View Cemetery earlier this year.
While investigators continue efforts to determine the cause of Sunday’s downtown fire, Hicks says the public can play an important role in preventing similar incidents.
Removing combustible materials, keeping properties tidy and reporting fires quickly can all help prevent small fires from growing into larger ones.
“If anyone out there ever sees a dumpster or something burning, that’s why we’re here,” Hicks says. “Call 911 and report it.”
24-23
Why doesn’t the city tell the truth on these fires and clear the streets of the druggies going around and finding places to do their drugs and creating the problem. Their needs to be a place out of towns and cities to put these people in away from drugs instead of catering to them the goody two shoers should go with them.
Here’s another way to prevent these arson fires…put the arsonist in jail and treat their issue instead of releasing from custody to destroy more property.
There is only so much a business can do to prevent people hanging out in the back of their businesses and starting fires to warm up. The revenues of a small business are not large enough to be able to spend thousands of dollars putting up a cast iron fence around the property . . . or area to protect their areas at the back of the business . . . they must have a area to store their recyclable material to be picked up.
This recent fire was in an area where those who hang out all night committing crimes like to hang out . . . especially when high west winds blow.
Police have done a good job reducing the loitering, sleeping rough issues downtown, but there is still much more to be done.
I know Hermo and Ellen, and they are hard working family who now have a big job ahead of them cleaning up the huge mess left because some thoughless criminal who is allowed to loiter and sleep rough on our streets wanted to start a warming fire, without any thought for the building or owners.
How many times have you seen scorch marks on the sides of buildings downtown where fires had been started to warm up? I have seen many, and have pictures of several on our property where I live!
The feds have to let the crown enforce the laws, so police can do theirs! These are not people who for one unfortunate reason or another found themselves homeless . . . they are people who refuse to stay in our shelter, where there is room for them, so they can live the life of crime on our streets! They are not the truly homeless!
We have lost multiple structures in our city from these people. as well as the coulee fires . . . all costing the taxpayer, keeping first responders busy.
We have lost the Bow On Tong, the historic Lethbridge Hotel downtown, with damages to several other businesses . . . and major damage to a million dollar condo on 3rd avenue across from Galt Gardens . . . I am surprised we haven’t seen the structures in Galt Gardens burn from all of the warming fires that have scorched those buildings! Many businesses have been impacted by these fires indirectly.
There has to be deterents!!! Deterents that are effective!!!
Part of the problem is our federal government not giving police better tools to do the job, not fixing many of the huge issues in the penal system and judicial systems , , , allowing lawlessness to increase while people who are charged go to jail not being addicted to drugs and somehow in a supposed secure facility come out addicted . . . how did they get addicted in jail and not come out rehabilitated!
Our country is falling apart while the feds focus and flying around the world, ignoring the issues on our own soil!
Businesses downtown have faced the brunt of the addiction crisis almost daily and it is time our city was taken back from the criminals we have allowed to take it over . . . including organized crime which has made great gains in our city from the drug crisis!
What happens in our city is what the people and leadership allow to happen in this city . . . plain and simple . . . focus on those causing the problem, not with the impacts! There is still a lot to be done!!!!!
you raise some issues that have too long needed significant attention. it is not just the feds that need to step up with resources, but also the province. it is egregious to leave communities to deal with massive social issues that are a country wide concern; in lethbridge, we were already cash strapped by our ignorant ucp policies, let alone being left on the hook to deal with deep rooted, complex issues.
that noted, it is encouraging to hear our city has been able to reduce some concerns, but much more support is required.
as you note, downtown businesses have been woefully neglected and not near enough supported for too many years. i do not support a vigilante or foolish reactive tough on crime approach as we might see in the excited states, but i do feel there is a lot of room to step up effectively short of that.
And I agree with some of your comment, 100%, but as someone who had put over 9 years of my life into researching the issues downtown and across North America, seeing what works and what doesn’t . . . watched countless people I knew or had built up a rapport with now dead from addiction issues . . . if the NDP were still in power we would see our streets look like Vancouver DTES, with hundreds of millions blown on non-profits who enable and encourage drug use and have zero impact on resolved the issues . . . Vancouver DTES alone spends over $400 million on about 270 non-profits organizations who serve the addiction issues annually, with housing and needs supports, and other social type services . . . now the population of the greater Vacouver DTES is only about 20,000 . . . I say again 20,000! The non-profits in BC are a billion dollar industry and most do nothing to reduce addiction, only enable it! The consumption sites there stopped offering counselling for addiction 2 years ago! Non-profits thrive, while people die!
Lethbridge would easily look like the DTES if the NDP were still in power and we would be seeing the same high fatal overdose rates per capita as BC . . . the UCP has worked hard to move away from the failed harm reduction programs that were started in 2003, over 22 years ago and added multiple other programs to try to lower the annual growth of fatal overdoses, without success to a point, they are now a drug dealer themselves . . . the UCP is still moving away from many of those NDP policies, focusing on treatment recovery programs which have proven to have had massive positive results for the last 18 months, dramatically reducing the fatal overdoses . . . you would see hundreds of millions more being pumped into the drug addiction issues in Alberta with no end in site if the NDP were still in power!
I don’t agree with everything the NDP is doing, but they are the best choice right now to bring change and to get Ottawa to respect our province instead of abuse it, while spoiling Ontario and Quebec!
The feds won’t allow the RCMP in municipal or rural areas to lay some charges relating to the addiction issues by instructing the Crown not to move forward on charges laid, and told judges not to convict on some of those issues!
Small businesses have been beat up badly by all the failed policies, many didn’t survive . . . these two businesses now must suffer the consequences of the impacts of the failed policies! The damages for the European Market go far beyond what you see . . . water had to be poured on the roof, causing water damage and smoke damage destroyed other products.
I do look forward to when they are open again so I can enjoy one of their deli sandwiches again!
U sound just like our Premier. Blame the Feds for all Albertans suffering. The police are the city and Smith’s responsibility not the Feds. Our provincial judicial system has to be more strict with these arsonists as most are likely repeat offenders and need to be institutionalized and treated. The Feds have nothing to do with our provincial courts.
I do agree . . . and if someone can be effectively treated for addiction and be rehabilitated, I support that!
But it is not all black and white when it comes to the courts! The province cannot put in place legislation, for the most part that conflicts with federal laws/policies, which has been the problem in many areas when dealing with the drug crisis!
“….The Supremacy Clause does not independently grant any power to the federal government. Instead, the Supremacy Clause, and the doctrine of federal preemption that arises from it, is essentially a choice-of-law provision, stating that where valid federal and state and local laws are in conflict, the federal laws prevail.….”
Once again I think your comments are being too kind! I am luckily walking away from owning a business in the core of the city, after years of getting beat down with the opioid crisis, then COVID, and continued costs from those the city calls the most vulnerable who are given free reign at night time to do whatever they want, because very few ever face any charges.
You missed one point that I will make! The city and police have to listen to the nearby First Nations complain whenever they see considerable actions to clean up our streets, backlash and then there are the bleeding hearts who support the NDP drug policies which created many of the issues we face, at the least threw gas on the fire. The non-profits who make too much money from the crisis so they don’t want it to end!
I appreciate your dedication, but you seem to be afraid now to call it as it is!
seeing as the ucp has been our govt for about 3 years running, as a majority, no less, any policies in place land squarely with the ucp – not the ndp. so, how about calling out the ucp for what they have permitted the past 3 years, rather than be blind to the very many ways they harm albertans…while continuing to blame a party now gone and without any clout for 3 years.
this is how we get poor govt – people care only about the govt name they get, rather than good govt.