Harts lose guest-house in fire
By LYLE HARVEY -- Calgary Sun
Calgary's first family of wrestling was pinned to its porch last
night by flames as fire raced through a guest-house behind the historic Hart
home.
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DESTRUCTION ... Calgary firefighters battle a blaze last night atop the second
storey of a guest-house located behind the historic Hart home, at 435 Patina
Place S.W. -- Jim Wells, Calgary Sun
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Tanya Hart, granddaughter of family patriarch and grappling legend Stu
Hart, spotted flames shooting from the roof of the two-storey guest-house on
the Patterson Heights property just after 10:30 p.m.
"My two friends were in the house watching movies upstairs and I stopped by
to say 'Hi' when I went out for a run," said Hart, whose father, Smith Hart,
promotes local Stampede Wrestling events.
"I went back to (the main house) to get my water bottle, and within seconds
I saw the house was on fire."
Tanya, 15, turned back to warn her friends inside, but after seeing the
girls had already left the flaming building, she ran to the main house to call
911.
By that time, other members of the family, including Stu, had gathered on
the main house's porch to watch.
"I practically grew up in both houses, so to see this one in flames put me
in shock," Tanya said.
Tanya said the guest-house -- which recently had a $50,000 entertainment
centre installed -- was recently given to her cousin, Ted Annis, 20, who's
Stu's oldest grandchild.
Prior to that, the home had been used to house wrestlers attending Stampede
Wrestling training camps in the Hart mansion's famous basement "dungeon."
A roommate of Annis' who was home at the time also escaped unharmed.
Thankfully, the Harts' 4,800 sq. ft., 21-room brick house -- built in 1903
-- was undamaged.
The Calgary Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the blaze
and tallying up the damage.
