Friday, March 2, 2007

Verdun Toyota Dealership

Verdun News - Channel 12 -
Apparently a  5 alarm fire is burning  at the Dealership.
I can't place where that would be.
Laurie

42 comments:

les__f MSN said...

There's several car dealerships in Verdun,......I haven't heard that term for years ... 5 alarm ,.......   There used to be some on Woodland ,.there's still a few on Bannatyne down past Hickson .........?? I have put cjad radio on the internet,.but there's a Habs Game On ,..... ( the only relevance there is I hope the Habs can light a fire under some of their goal scorers),,,,,,

les__f MSN said...

I read that topic thread title again,.......I missed the Toyota Dealership   it is on Woodland 1000, Avenue Woodland
Verdun (Quebec)

H4H1V9

T챕l챕phone: 514-761-3444

T챕l챕copieur:514-761-4529
Courriel   That I think used to be the Chrysler Dealership????? I think

les__f MSN said...

The Verdun Dealership Fire continues to burn out of control,.according to the news on right now,,(radio that is in Montreal) They fear the blaze could spread to nearby buildings..........   That a couple of big fires in as many weeks ,....  Metalman took some pictures for us at the lasdt one ,. I wonder if he's in Vedun this weekend,.if he is ,there's probablt no doubt he;ll grab a few shots,...... I think he visits his Mom often............ Sounds like Verdun's making room for a lot of new buildings,.??

laurie19540 MSN said...

Les  I remember that place, walked past it on my way to VHS.  There is also a 40cm dumpo of snow in Montreal going on today.   Great stuff. Laurie

les__f MSN said...

I wish there was a Verdun webcam ,.....but montreal oddly enough doesn't have a lot of webcams ,like some other City's do,.they have the obligatory peel& stCAtherine cam,and the old port,..but no independent ones that I've found yet.....  

metalman108 MSN said...

due to weather

i went to the barn to get the sled
but i had problems with the high horse
didn't want to pull the sled and myself o montreal?
i tired with the carrot trick, sugar cubes
no way?
but i promise les i'll get those pictures
i phoned verdun, they still see lots of black smoke
and orange flame.

les__f MSN said...

Thanks metalman,..........I'm sure on tongihts Pulse News in Montreal there would be good footage,............and tomorrows paper,.too   I like the 'high horse' in the stable..........hahahahahaha When I get back for a vist one day,.your on the list of 'characters' that we'll visit........hahahahaha    and also as Ed said,.when the weather was 'stable' and so were we ........(I think)............hahahahaha

les__f MSN said...

Looks like the VerdunFire has been brought under control,.according to news reports I just got from CJAD news,... Noone injured ,.except a fireman that slipped on the Ice,...........         remember going by a place of a fire the next day (in the Winter) and seeing the ghostly remnants ,covered in thick thick ice,.cascadeding down the sides off the buildings ruins ,.....and the Ice had a blackish tinge to it from the soot from the actual Fire...................... Apparently the damage at this ine could reach into the millions,....I guess the owner of the Toyota dealership has to take inventory,...and account for all those 'Baby Grabd Piano's' that he was going to give away to cutomers........ whatdya think?   Hey wasn't that a Spinelli car lot for a while too???(I knwo he's got one in Lachine)

dannyb--1 MSN said...

Les, There was a lot of worry about the buildings behind and next door to the dealership. My father in law lives right next door and was put out when it first started. He will be allowed back in soon to get his oxigen machine and a few belongings but that is it for tonight. Not sure if there is any damage to his building but there will be water and smoke for sure. I think the dealership was going to be torn down when the new building that is being built across in there parking lot is finished. But that is just a guess. I haven't seen the fire but had someone there looking for my father in law. Danny

les__f MSN said...

Thanks DannyB ,.....i heard that the Firmen did a great job in saving the other buildings from the spread of the fire (which was reported as a possibility earlier).........I know first hand what it's like to have all your stuff damaged or destroyed in a Fire......it's not fun ,.all your stuff smells of that sickening heavy smoke smell................... I Remember having to go to school the next day after a fire at my place,...and being able to still smell the smoke in my clothes.......................  Hope your family can get back in their without too much damage,.......it's a big loss,.very personal when that happens,................... Guess there may be a Hot deal on a new Toyota ........hmmmmmm time for a Camry hybrid maybe,,,,,,,,

dannyb--1 MSN said...

Les the fire that was at your place I remember well. Before the fire a few friends and I called the fire department and told them about the flames coming out the chimney. They came and had a look and then left saying it was only sparks from the chimney. That was apparenly not the case later on. I worked in that store at one time and it was a real fire trap in the basement. The furnace would get so hot that the boxes in the basement would get dried and brittle. I moved them away many times only to have them put back by other people. Ron Murray and I worked there.

guy5479 MSN said...

Here is a picture of the building that caught fire a couple of weeks ago on Bannantyne. I think that it is Metalman who first posted pictures of this same fire. Unfortunately I am not going to Verdun today as I would have taken a picture of the Woodland fire. There was a big fire at a Auto repair shop at the corner of Woodland and Champlain either last year or the year before and I posted pictures of that fire at the time. Whats going on, all those big fires in Verdun, is it arson or simple basic fire prevention on the part of the property owners or tenants negligence or is it arson. We don't hear anything regarding these matters either form the newspapers of from the Verdun city officials. Verdun residents should be in an uproar and alert and pressure city fathers to act. Guy  

les__f MSN said...

I would Imagine Guy that this whole building is slated to come down now,.as the photo's metalman posted fom the show almost irreprable damage: Thanks for re posting this area.,,,,,,,,, I haven't read the Montreal Newspapers yet this morning as I have ben busy,.but I am sure that in one of the papers (if not all ) there will be some detailed photos of the damage at the Woodland Toyota dealership........ I will see what i can find .......................Thanks for the input

les__f MSN said...

DannyB ,,,,,,,,,,it looks like this could be related to your Father-in-Law Fire erupts in Verdun at car Dealership The Gazette; PCPublished: Saturday, March 03, 2007 A firefighter was injured and two other people required medical treatment after a fire broke out at a car dealership in Verdun yesterday. The fire began in the early evening in a Toyota outlet on Woodland Ave. About 100 firefighters fought the intense blaze. One of the firefighters fell and injured a knee. An ambulance was called to provide oxygen for a nearby resident, while another person who had recently undergone a quadruple bypass received treatment. About 30 people were ordered out of nearby buildings as a precaution, and power to the neighbourhood was cut. The blaze was under control by 10 p.m   An ambulance was called to provide 'oxygen' for a nearby resident I hope your family is being looked after,...........Again when we see a fire or hear of fire damage,.we sometimes (all to often) Seem to almost forget about those ,who cannot get back into their own homes,........Imagine it being winter time ,in the middle of a snowstorm, & your out on the street it's not easy,.............but knowing Verdun ,.I'm sure many will be offering assistance......................................

dannyb--1 MSN said...

Les,  My father in law is back in his apartment as of this morning. His apartment suffered no damage other than a dirty floor from what I am told. Danny

les__f MSN said...

That's very Good news Dan,................I would think he suffered a nervous night,.wondering what was going to be the outcome............ Sounds like the Firemen really did a good job.....................

dannyb--1 MSN said...

Les I got a look at the fire damage at Woodland Toyota and there is not much to see, just a big pile of burnt debris and cars. To dark for pictures. Danny

the lad MSN said...

Laurie   Located Woodland & Bannantyne right behind Savards Dep.   Lad

the lad MSN said...

Les   Look up Spinelli. They sell alot different makes. Were in Lasalle moved to Lachine on the 20.Think they are in West Island too.Remeber reading that one of the owners was official scorer for our Expos...remember them?   Good times....   Lad

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

My Dad Ken Hill, worked at the dealership in the late '50's and early '60's when they were a Studebaker dealership and then they became a Ford dealership. I remember my Dad selling the first Mustang they got there and the Studebaker Avanti when it came out. My Grandparents lived just down the block in the old house. They had a fire hydrant right in the middle of the gate and a large garden. The house is still there, the only house in the block.

edbro68 MSN said...

Hi Biggie, The house you refer to is at 1090 Woodland, I was born in that house. We moved down to 1020 when I was three. Your Father was a good buddy when were young. He loved stunt driving and was good at it. His great sense of humour made him fun to be with him. Your Grandfather was a smart man. Paid extra to send his sons to Verdun High even though the family was RC. He didn't want them educated by the brothers. His work with long distance radio was very advanced during the war and the Government used him to relay messages often. Ed Brown

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

Thanks for the info Ed.  My father died quite a few years ago.  I don't really know much about his early life, or my Mothers.   My Mom was Jessie Davis who greew up on Melrose.   I was in Montreal a few months ago for the first time in years.  I took a drive by the old house on Woodland just to see it.  It was strange that no one in the family is living there anymore.  My Aunt Mary never married and I think she was the last one to live there in our family.

edbro68 MSN said...

Hey bigf, There was a story and a picture in the Gazette last Remembrance day about the Hill brothers. Tommy, Jimmy, Clarence and John, if  I've got it right. I knew them all. They are all living in the east end with their sister Mary. They are all in their eighties and seventies. All four were in the war, (Your Dad was too young too go.) Norman (the youngest brother) told me that Clary came home from the war and went to his room. He laid on his bed and never said hello or I'm home. Your grandfather asked why he hadn't said hello and he said, "I was getting around to it." There must be a way we could find the Gazette story, maybe Les knows how to track these things.                          Ed

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

Ed thanks for the info once more.  I have lost touch with my family over the years, being the black sheep in my younger days.  I haven't seen anyone in the family since the '80's.  I did reconnect with a second cousin on the site though.  He is in the states.   I just went to the library and found the article and copied it.  6 November 2005 pages A-1 and A-4.

metalman108 MSN said...

edbro

in verdun yesterday, i took these pic's
for you 1090 woodland.
is this the house you digged out
for the foundation?
using a mexician backhoe?
means hand shovel and wheelbarrel
is a lot of hard work ?

metalman108 MSN said...

les

took the pic from woodland toyota
nothing left?
looks like they cleaned up
making a new parking lot for
the toyota's?

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

This message has been deleted by the author.

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

1090 Woodland was my Garndparents home.  It was really nice to see the picture of it!  It looks as if they are doing some work on the house.   Thank you.

edbro68 MSN said...

Hi MMan, The old house looks odd without the great antenna, bot no, the house we where we dug out the vbasement was at 1020. It has been gone for a long time. The man that bought the property was W.C. Vipond of Vipond Tolhurst Oil Co. fame. He split with Tolhurst and went into real estate. He bought the land because we had three lots 90 by 90 footage. . Woodland had been commerialized because of Woodland garage and O'Connors Verdun Trucking. He bought it for Canadian Tire who were looking to move into Verdun. After Dad bought In Crawford Park and the old house was carted away he came demanding his money back. They had drilled for foundation and found that the old tar creek ran right under the house. They needed 4000 pounds per square foot. The law said he should have done so before and that was the end/ Canadian Tire almost ended up on Woodland. 

edbro68 MSN said...

MMan, I like the Mexican backhoe reference.  My Father and a friend of his called Ed Staten filled the whelbarrows. My job was to empty them in the lot next door. I can assure you they filed the barrows well and fast, I never had to wait for a ull one. In order to get them up the ramp to street level I had to lean forward until my nose was touching the earth. With the ends of the shafts digging into my palms I used every ounce of strength in my skinny twelve year old body. After a couple of weeks the skin was worn off my palms and they were bleeding. My Father gave me a pair of oven mitts and two days off to let them heal. I always had Saturday evening off and a whole dollar to go to the movies at Verdun United. All the kids thought I was rich. They didn't know how I worked for it. I bought a lot of five cent potato chips for me and my friends. That summer I seemed to have a lot of friends. My father was not the type to give money easily but he knew I earned for it. His policy was 'If a boy has food and clothes what more could he want?' Asking for money went something like, "What do you want money for? Do you realize if I gave you money you'd probably spend it?" "Well yeah, that's the idea, Dad." "Nonsense, If you spent it you'd have nothing and that's what you have now so stop complaining." By the time I figured out this illogic, I forgot what I wanted to buy.            Ed

edbro68 MSN said...

Sorry about the spelling mistakes, I'm very tired. Ed

happydi2 MSN said...

Hi Ed...your dad's logic makes perfect sense to me..and if Pauk read this, it would make perfect sense to him too!!!   Anyway...jump ahead to the 21 century....our daughter Sarah and her husband have a 200 year old house near Saint John, N.B. and they had to dig under it to have a foundation put in...not a fun job....but they had machinery do most of the work.....   Dianne

happydi2 MSN said...

then they had exterminators come in to rid the attic of bats.....

happydi2 MSN said...

And if my spelling is off..just blame it on the fact that i am a rotten speller...!!!!!

bon_bon1970 MSN said...

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bon_bon1970 MSN said...

  pictures of the fire at the toyota dealership.  sorry for the quality. night pictures don't come out so good. after a little bit, they started to back people farther and farther away. for fear of things blowing up.

arbutus MSN said...

Bon Bon,    Great pictures, good job, thanks for sharing with us.   Gary Mace   Saanich, BC

bigfellow6633 MSN said...

Thank you for the pictures.  I will always think of it as a Studebaker dealership.

dave_nc MSN said...

I'll always remember it as a White Rose gas station.   Dave

metalman108 MSN said...

edbro

just read your post and enjoyed very much
don't forget you must of got longer arms from the
wheelbarrel?
i know the wheelbarrel also, when the concrete
truck shows up, we have the wheelbarrels
lined up?
your dad gave you a education that a classroom
doesn't teach.
most a finiancial education, knowing how to earn
a dollar and spend it wise.
your dad was a good man, as a small verduner
i had to mostly do it myself.
i didn't have a mentor to learn
edbro, you had a great mentor, your dad.
regards
walter


edbro68 MSN said...

Dianne, We didn't need an exterminator. If we acted batty my Father knocked it out of us.                            Ed

edbro68 MSN said...

MMan, I'll tell you what I did get from the wheelbarrows. By the end of the summer I had an incredible pair of shoulders and biceps. When the baseball went up on the roof of Woodland garage they'd ask me to go up. There was a brace wire on the telephone pole and I could climb it like a monkey. Speaking of monkeys we had one until I was about 14. She used to climb the trees in our yard and I would go up after her. Good training for when I later worked in ship repair.         Ed