Historic Colonel Clarke’s Tavern Destroyed by Fire

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Photo Courtesy of Jack Burt
By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press

At 11:00 p.m. on 13 December 2024, the Lion’s Head Fire department received a call about a fire.

The fire at the former Colonel Clarke’s Tavern, a well-known historical landmark, took close to 11 hours to extinguish, with 27 firefighters on scene from the Lion’s Head, Tobermory and Wiarton departments.

Jack Burt, Fire Chief of Northern Bruce Peninsula Fire Services, says the cause of the fire is still under investigation but is not regarded as being suspicious. 

The building has been a private residence since the tavern sold approximately 20 years ago. No one was at home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.