Damage is extensive after a New Year's Eve fire in the heart of downtown Kingsville.
The Town Shoppe has been a fixture in the community for more than a decade, but now the doors are closed.
“Hopefully they will be able to rebound and come back and continue the strength we have in downtown,” says Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos.
There is little left of the store, but fire officials say it could have been much worse.
Officials say burning embers in a barbecue behind the store are responsible for the fire that caused more than $500,000 in damage.
The fire broke out around 9 p.m. About 30 volunteer firefighters tackled the blaze for more than five hours.
“It worked its way inside an expanded from there, caught some merchandise on fire,” says Scott Moore, fire prevention officer.
An OPP officer on patrol found the fire and tried to put it out himself while fire crews rushed to the scene.The heat from the fire was so intense, clothing fell to the ground as the hangers melted. The inside is completely destroyed. The only good news is the structure itself is okay.
Two businesses on either side of The Towne Shoppe suffered smoke damage.
“It was just a haze of smoke,” says Anne McLean, the owner of Mary Kathryn Ladies Shop next door.
McLean left a New Year's Eve party when she got word of the fire. She has closed her store for the next two days for cleaning.
“Light smelling smoke, and it’s something we can deal with,” says McLean. “(We’ll) have cleaners come in and ozone machines. We'll have a sale down the road.”
She left a thank you note on the front window to the firefighters who contained the blaze in very little time.
“They did do a great job,” says McLean.
Two nearby residential apartments were evacuated, as a precaution.
The investigation into the blaze continues. Part of the investigation will be determining who was responsible for the barbeque, the cause of the fire.
