A Royal Canadian Legion in Montreal is picking up the pieces after fire rips through building

John Floud's phone rang at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday.

It was a security company calling to say an alarm was going off at the Royal Canadian Legion in Montreal's Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough. Given that he's the branch president, he jumped in his car and headed over, expecting to find a break-in.

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case," said Floud, who didn't have to look twice at the darkened windows to know what was going on.

He was a firefighter for 27 years and immediately recognized the signs. He unlocked the building's front door and moved his car away from the building, waiting for firefighters to arrive. The legion is located off Gouin Boulevard on 4e Avenue.

As quick as the response time was, it wasn't fast enough to stop the destruction of valuable antiques and keepsakes.

Some were saved but many were damaged or destroyed.

Among things lost to the fire was the legion's original charter with Queen Elizabeth's signature, a restored rifle from the First World War, paintings, photos and more.

To top it off, the legion had thousands of poppies ready for this year's Remembrance Day and now they all smell like smoke, said Floud.

"We are having to scrap them," said Floud. "We've been phoning different legions to get some poppies."

But there just aren't many available so at the last minute. The campaign was just about to start.

Money raised from poppy sales goes into community projects, supporting cadets and assisting veterans.

It's the legion's only major fundraiser of the year, and now Floud worries the legion is going to be disappointing those who rely on poppy trust funds, he said.

The fire appears to have been caused by an electrical issue with an air exchanger. Now the legion will have to rely on insurance money to rebuild. The hope is to stay in the same building if possible, Floud said.

He said the community has been offering support, and the borough's elected officials have extended a hand.

"Know that I along with our administration are there to assist in any way possible," said borough mayor Jim Beis on Facebook.

Beis was on the scene early Tuesday morning, offering support to the legion and firefighters. He said the legion was founded in 1957 and "has been a part of our Roxboro fabric for over 60 years."