A local restaurant and a few apartment buildings above it have burnt down in Kenora, leaving now another space to fill in the downtown core.
“The building’s been heavily damaged. It’s basically a total loss at this point,” said Kenora Fire Chief Kent Readman, of this morning’s blaze. “There was the Hungry Pug, and a few of the apartments as well.”
Emergency responders with the OPP, Kenora Fire and Emergency Service and Northwest EMS remain on scene at the Hungry Pug Cafe building at 301 Second Street South, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
Deputy Fire Chief Dave Pratt says all local firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 2 a.m.
“It actually came in as a dumpster fire at approximately 2:10 a.m. When crews arrived, about halfway down the laneway between this building and the Island Girl building, crews discovered a fire that was travelling up the building.”
“Unfortunately, the fire got into the walls of the building. Once it gets into the walls, it travels vertically into the roof. Once it gets to the roof, it travels horizontally. That’s why we have lost pretty much two-thirds of this building,” explains Pratt.
“There is a section that we were able to separate from the remainder of the building. Other than some minor smoke damage, that part of the structure is fine.”
Matheson Street remains closed between Third Street South and Second Street South. Residents are asked to use alternate routes and give responders time and space to clear the area safely.
