In the early hours of January 31, 1951 – one of the coldest nights of that year – a fire was discovered in a storage area adjacent to the kitchen in the Motherhouse portion of Mount Saint Vincent’s main building at the time. The flames could not be contained, and the fire spread throughout the whole building which included the Academy, College, administration offices, the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, the Novitiate and the Chapel.
Firefighting equipment did not operate effectively in the freezing conditions and 400 people were evacuated from the burning building. Students took refuge in Marillac House and Saint Mary’s Cottage where they watched their beloved Mount burn to the ground. Miraculously, nobody was injured during the ordeal, though many priceless documents and objects special to the Mount’s history were lost.