Smoke hung in the air June 15 as exhibitors moved equipment into place at Regina’s Evraz Place.
Pressure washers cleaned soot and ashes off trucks, tractors and trailers that had arrived for the Western Canada Farm Progress Show before fire destroyed the historical Grain Show building June 14.
The remains of the building, built in the 1930s for the World Grain Congress, will likely be an added attraction at the show, which runs June 17-19.
Show manager Rob O’Connor said people are often drawn to fire scenes and he expected there would be traffic in the area.
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“There’s going to be people who want to see what’s left,” he said.
Exhibitors scheduled to be located next to the Grain Show building had the option to move, O’Connor said. He hadn’t been able to talk to all of them but said two of four were staying. Space was held in other areas for those who wanted to move.
Ryan Miller, in sales and marketing for Trailtech, was pulling flat deck trailers across from the fenced-off rubble June 15.
He said the smoke was a little irritating but most of it cleared by noon.
“There will be some benefit” to Trailtech’s location, he agreed, but also noted that a major entrance is right behind his display. Trailtech has been in the same spot for three years.
Miller said Evraz Place and show staff had been working hard to make sure exhibitors received extra forklifts and pressure washers.
“They wanted us to stay away (Sunday),” he said, adding it didn’t delay set up. “They’ve been really good about it.”
He and O’Connor said the damage could have been worse if the fire had happened during the show or when all the exhibits were in place.
The cause of the blaze, which caused spectacular flames to shoot about 25 metres high and created huge clouds of black smoke, has not been determined. The 911 call from a passerby came at 6:40 a.m.
Last fall, three teenagers were charged after they set fire to the building. Firefighters were able to contain that blaze.
The west and south wings of the building were destroyed by fire in the 1950s, leaving only the east wing.
The building had not been used for years except for storage and was slated for demolition as part of a redevelopment plan.
“We knew the end was coming but it’s certainly a sad, final chapter to what, in its day, was a remarkable facility,” said Evraz Place chief executive officer Mark Allan.
O’Connor said several trucks and pieces of older equipment were lost in the fire.
He said the most difficult loss is the jumps used for the Royal Red Arabian horse show scheduled for August. He didn’t know if the jumps could be replaced in time and said the show may have to borrow from other venues.
