Multiple fire trucks were at the scene of an incident at a downtown Winnipeg restaurant Friday morning.
The city told 680 CJOB that fire crews were called to La Roca around 6 a.m., where there appears to be smashed windows and damage to the outside patio.
The fire was out by 6:40 and there were no injuries.
Police said major crimes investigators are looking into the incident, and no further details were available.
La Roca’s owner, who doesn’t want to be identified because he fears another fire at his Smith Street restaurant, told Global Winnipeg he saw the whole incident take place on La Roca’s security cameras this morning.
Despite the fire, the owner said he intends to open the business for Grey Cup weekend as planned, but he’s frustrated.
“This is not good for the businesses. This is not good for the families that live in this community,” he said.
“Downtown has become unsafe. It’s nonsense right now.”
The head of the Manitoba Restaurant and Food Services Association said it’s disheartening to see yet another restaurant in the area catch fire.
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Shaun Jeffery told 680 CJOB’s The Start that local restaurateurs just want answers.
“What’s the plan to try to alleviate these concerns? What’s the plan to protect our business? What is our path moving forward with the issues of crime — not just in downtown but in this entire province? We’re not getting anywhere,” he said.
“I have a duty to my industry just to provide them support, and we’re going to do that. Our industry will gather together to support the owners of La Roca through this time.”
Jeffrey said he intends to bring the issue up with Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham on Monday at the association’s annual general meeting.
The timing of Friday’s fire is particularly discouraging, he said, due to the large number of visitors in the area attending Grey Cup events at the RBC Convention Centre just blocks away.
“Our industry is reeling a little bit, especially right now, with it being such a hotbed of activity in downtown Winnipeg,” he said.
“It’s just very, very frustrating because of the lack of feedback of what is actually going on, both from our elected officials and the Winnipeg police.”
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