London Cricket Club shed fire destroying 168 years of history a 'massive loss'

London's Cricket Club members are facing disappointment as thousands of dollars of sports equipment and irreplaceable historical memorabilia from their nearly 170 years of history are now a pile of ashes after a fire ripped through their clubhouse shed after midnight Thursday. 

"This is really disheartening to us as a cricket community. It's very disappointing. We were trying our best to keep our history alive," said Swapnil Raj, London Cricket Club's secretary. 

"The costly stuff we can buy again, but the history which is gone, that is a massive loss for us," he said. "We have lost financially. We have lost all our history."

The London Cricket Club was first established in 1856 and is one of the oldest sports organizations in the city, according to the club. Raj said there are more than 100 members currently, with about 1,000 players coming through the club to compete with other cities like Hamilton, St. Thomas, Woodstock, and Sarnia. 

Their clubhouse shed was a roughly 10-metre-long storage unit that displayed memorabilia, trophies, newspaper articles and historical photos inside, along with sports equipment storage. It was located at the Northridge Cricket Grounds near Adelaide Street North and Windermere Road. 

The city operates three cricket pitches, with Northridge Fields being the newest since it opened in 2022. 

No cause has been determined

Jentrick Arun, president of the London Cricket Club, estimates they lost about $100,000 worth of items in the fire.

He first learned of the damage after someone alerted their club about the fire in an email, he said. He came to find it completely burned down with everything gone.

"When I saw it, I feel like [I was] about to cry, because of the history that we have," he said. "The things we can buy. But the history, [it's] almost 168 years of history," said Arun. 

London Fire said they received a call before 1 a.m. early Thursday to report a structure fire in the area of Adelaide Street North and Windermere Road. Crews arrived to find a "fully involved" shed fire, said platoon chief Brent Shea.

Shea said there is no cause determined at this time and no obvious case for maliciousness. London Police say they were not required at the fire. 

Club is working to build recognition in London

High-class equipment was also inside the container, including equipment to teach children cricket purchased with club money, Arun said. 

"We were trying our best to keep our history alive for current members and whoever is coming to join us in the future," Raj said, who noted they were working to build recognition among Londoners.

Raj now has concerns about safety and security, he said. "How something can this major can happen?"