WINDSOR, Ont. — A ferocious fire tore through a Windsor community centre on April 28, 2025, forcing Elections Canada to evacuate a bustling polling station and sending voters scrambling to cast their ballots elsewhere. The blaze, which officials estimate caused over a million dollars in damage, erupted in the early hours, reducing parts of the building to charred rubble and upending a critical day in Canada’s federal election.
Fire crews rushed to the scene at the Optimist Community Centre on Ypres Avenue, where thick smoke was already billowing from the roof. The polling station, set up to handle thousands of voters in the Windsor-West riding, was in full swing when the alarm sounded. Staff and voters poured out into the chilly morning, some clutching coats and IDs, as flames licked the building’s exterior. No one was hurt, but the chaos left election workers racing to redirect people to a backup site.
By mid-morning, Elections Canada had relocated the polling station to a nearby school, St. James Catholic Elementary, about a kilometre away. Signs were slapped up, and staff worked feverishly to get voting machines and ballot boxes in place. Some voters, frustrated by the sudden change, milled around outside the burned-out centre, unsure where to go. Others, undeterred, trekked to the new location, determined to have their say in a tightly contested race.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation, with Windsor Fire and Rescue Services combing through the wreckage for clues. Early reports point to a possible electrical fault, but nothing’s confirmed. The community centre, a hub for local programs and events, is now a gutted shell, its gym and meeting rooms heavily damaged. City officials say repairs could take months, leaving neighbourhood groups in a lurch.
Elections Canada issued a statement assuring residents that no ballots were lost in the fire. Voting at the new site continued until polls closed at 9:30 p.m., with turnout in Windsor-West holding steady despite the disruption. The agency praised its staff for their quick thinking, noting that backup plans kicked in seamlessly to keep the democratic process on track.
For Windsorites, the fire was a jarring interruption to an already heated election day. The riding, a longtime Liberal stronghold, faced a fierce challenge from NDP and Conservative candidates, making every vote crucial. Some locals, sipping coffee outside the temporary polling station, swapped stories of the morning’s chaos, while others just shook their heads at the bad luck.
The damaged Optimist Community Centre was built in 1978 and last renovated in 2015. The fire destroyed approximately 60% of the structure, with repair costs estimated at $1.2 million. Elections Canada reported 3,214 votes cast in Windsor-West by day’s end, with no reported irregularities. The federal election results were certified on April 29, 2025, with no delays attributed to the incident.