Fire destroys Manitoba community’s only grocery store

A community in Manitoba is left without a grocery store after a fire consumed the business.

Wynne’s Place, a restaurant and grocery store, in Bissett, Man. went up in flames around 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

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The community’s deputy mayor and fire department member Doug McPherson said the blaze left the community of more than 160 people without its only grocery store.

“It’s hard. There are a lot of memories there,” he said. “It is a big loss. It was a local coffee shop where people would talk about world problems every morning.”

McPherson said the closest grocery store is in Pine Falls, which is more than 120 km away.

“Some people are mobile and some aren’t so the ones that are mobile will have to pick up groceries,” he said.

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The local gas station is rearranging shelves to make room for some groceries.

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“It will probably be a week or so before they get things set up,” said McPherson. “A lot of people have gardens so for a week or so we can get by pretty good. If not people will make trips and bring back what we can for people who need it. It’s a close-knit community and we take care of each other.”

No one was injured in the fire but the Office of the Fire Commissioner attended the scene and is conducting an investigation.

Manitoba RCMP said it’s unknown if the fire is suspicious or accidental.