Investigators are still trying to determine what caused an overnight fire that engulfed a commercial building at 372 George Street North in downtown Peterborough.
The fire broke out last Thursday around 11 p.m. completely wiping out two businesses and damaging several others.
“The fire is still under investigation at this time. We do have the insurance companies and the restoration companies on scene at this time so we have a structural engineer that has determined it is safe to go in the building now so they are in the process of getting a damage estimate for us,” said Peterborough fire chief, Chris Snetsinger.
READ MORE: Peterborough photographer reeling from downtown fire
The Simple Soap Shoppe was one of the businesses destroyed by the fire and owner Alex Fitzgerald is trying to come up with a quick Christmas solution to satisfy her customers during what she says is usually her busiest time of year.
“We’re 90 per cent hopeful that we’ll be able to have a temporary kiosk in Peterborough Square. We’d really like to get that going for probably the second week of December,” said Fitzgerald.
Also, the Natas Cafe, a popular coffee shop known for its Portuguese custard tarts, is now coated with a layer of dust and filled with a restoration team dealing with all of the damage that the smoke has caused.
Co-owner, Steve Francis says he is still unsure of the next steps for his business.
READ MORE: Firefighters battle overnight blaze in downtown Peterborough
“As far as plans go the place is closed. We’re not too sure timing-wise, you know when all the reconstruction will be completed, there’s a lot of phases as far as determining any asbestos in the floor above us and you know, safety concerns for any of the crews that are working here,” said Francis.
While Francis didn’t plan to celebrate Natas Cafe’s 10th anniversary this way, he and Fitzgerald say they are grateful for the outpouring of community support.
Peterborough police say the fire does not appear suspicious in nature.
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