‘Quite tragic’: Fire damages historic buildings in Lethbridge’s Chinatown

A fire has damaged Lethbridge's Bow On Tong and Manie Opera Society buildings.

Two historic buildings in Lethbridge's Chinatown district were damaged by a fire on Tuesday morning.

The blaze broke out in the 300 block of Second Avenue South at around 5 a.m., damaging both the Bow on Tong Co. building and the Manie Opera House bulding. 

Firefighters from Coaldale joined Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services in extinguishing the blaze.

Officials say no one was injured.

"There is a lot of history in this downtown Chinatown and we've lost one of the most iconic buildings of this past history," said Ken Nakagama, who owns and operates Nakagama’s Japanese Food and Giftware,

He said while he's relieved his business didn’t catch fire, it does have "a bit" of smoke damage.

The Bow On Tong and Manie Opera Society have been in Chinatown for more than a century.

President of the Lethbridge Historical Society Belinda Crowson says it's a tragic loss of history for the city and the Chinese population.

"These buildings are tangible part of our heritage, and they stand there as the story, and the way to tell the story," Crowson said. "(The fire) means we're losing something that is a very representation or a very visible signature of that story."

Crowson says Bow On Tong was built in 1920 and helped support Chinese-Albertans in Lethbridge since the early 1900s, operating as a grocery store and lodging house, and later as a traditional Chinese herbal shop.

The building was given historic designation by the province in 2019.

Several groups tried to raise money and apply for grants to restore the building, but those efforts ended after over $106,000 was put into structural repairs.

Crowson added the opera house was constructed in 1907. She says despite the loss, the stories of the buildings and their history will continue to be told.

"The Chinese Free Mason is still there, we have the Lee Wong building on 13 Street North, so there are still some buildings that tell that story - very few were like the Bow On Tong with that apothecary area and with the stories there," Crowson said. "I know we've documented - we have photographs - but there is nothing like the real building to tell the story."

Despite the loss for the Chinatown community, Nakagama says he hopes to continue business as normal once the investigation wraps up.

"We’ll be up and running as soon as the city, police and fire department can restore power and everything," Nakagama said.

Fire investigators remained at the scene throughout the day on Tuesday and say the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

A damage estimate is not yet known.