Fire wrecks B.C.’s historic Little Red House, beloved by painters and photographers

A historic home popularly known as the Little Red House has been destroyed by fire after standing in the Township of Langley for almost 140 years.

The township’s archives say the home properly known as Mclver House burned down early on Thursday.

It says the home was built by Murdoch and Annie McIver between 1887 and 1890.

While the Langley Heritage Society says in a social media post that the house in the Glen Valley area had fallen into disrepair, its location in the middle of a turf farm helped make it “one of the most photographed and painted” homes in the area.

It says the Gothic-style farmhouse, which also served as a backdrop for photo shoots and videos, “evoked memories of simpler times.”

Rob Rindt, a Township of Langley councillor, shared videos of the house being engulfed in flames, saying its destruction was “incredibly sad.”

“So many people photographed, painted and stopped to admire this house over the years, and now these images capture its final moments,” he said.

A description of the house in the Township of Langley’s archives, held by its heritage facility known as salishan Place by the River, says the house was built by the McIvers to replace an earlier log cabin, “which was most likely too small to accommodate the McIvers’ growing clan of nine children.”

It says the house was still occupied until the early 1990s “but by 2010 it had been surrounded by a turf farm and was uninhabited and falling into disrepair.”

The heritage society said in an online post Friday that it was “sad and unfortunate” the home was never preserved.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2026.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press