The small community of Baddeck, N.S. is coming together following a devastating fire at the iconic Inverary Resort this week.
Fire broke out shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, destroying the resort’s main building, which housed some guest rooms and a restaurant.
Graham MacKenzie, the owner of Stone’s Pharmacy, is offering to donate replacement medications to travelers who have been affected by the fire.
READ MORE: ‘I got out just in time’: Fire destroys part of Inverary Resort in Baddeck, N.S.
“Nothing ruins your trip more than not having your medications, especially if they’re lifesaving medications,” said MacKenzie.
“It’s kind of important for us as pharmacist to make sure that people stay healthy while they’re travelling and that’s one way to do it.”
MacKenzie also owns a clothing store above the pharmacy. In addition to replacing lost medicine, the store is allowing guests of the Inverary Resort who are in need to take clothing from the store, free of charge.
“There was a lady that came in here yesterday. Everything was lost. Her passport was lost. They were flying back to England that day and she didn’t have anything other than the pajamas she walked in here with so we got her enough to get her out of here anyway,” MacKenzie told Global News.
“We want people to come to town. The Inverary is a very big financial driver to this town in the summer and winter. We get a lot of customers from people that are staying there.”
WATCH: Massive fire destroys iconic Inverary Resort in Baddeck, N.S.
Catherine Lamey, the president of the Baddeck & Area Chamber of Commerce, says tourism is the biggest economic driver in the town.
“If you turn around and you walk down our streets in August and you turn around and you walk down our streets in December, you know, it’s like you’re walking through two different villages. It’s kind of cool,” she said.
Lamey is hoping the Inverary Resort will be up and running at full capacity as soon as possible.
“All the people that go there go out into different ends of this community, whether it’s to buy groceries or to buy gas or to go sailing. All of those people come together,” she said.
Volunteer firefighters were still working to put out hot spots at the Inverary Resort on Friday morning. The investigation into exactly what sparked the fire remains ongoing.
There are concerns in the community that a fire hydrant located nearby wasn’t working at the time of the fire, but officials will not confirm whether that’s true. But they do say the village of Baddeck and the Baddeck Volunteer Fire Department are planning a meeting to discuss the fire, and review hydrants in the village.
The MacAuley family, which has owned the resort for generations, says they are still able to operate despite the loss of the main building and will still be holding all events that have been scheduled for 2018.