Crews in Sackville, N.B., spent Good Friday battling a fire that destroyed a restaurant, engulfed the downtown area in smoke and left four university students and one staff member temporarily homeless.
Photos and videos posted to social media show firefighters hosing down a building on York Street as crowds of people watch.
Numerous fire departments were at the scene, including from Sackville, Memramcook, Dorchester and Amherst, just across the Nova Scotia border.
The Sackville Fire Department could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The Municipality of Tantramar said in a statement on Facebook that traffic is slowing the work of the firefighters.
It asked people to avoid the downtown Sackville area and the area near exit 504 as the fire department needs to transport water from Silver Lake to the downtown Sackville.
The New Brunswick RCMP told Global News the “investigation is still ongoing” but did not comment further on the matter.
By 3 p.m., crews remained on scene but there was substantially less smoke.
‘Our hearts are heavy’
Joey’s Pizza and Pasta, which was destroyed in the fire, said in a Facebook post Friday afternoon that “our hearts are heavy today.”
“Joey’s has been a landmark of Sackville since 1988, and it’s because of the love and support from the community that we’ve been able to serve you for the past 35 years,” it said.
“We can’t thank everybody enough for all the love and support we’ve continued to receive today.”
It thanked the fire departments who responded to the blaze and expressed gratitude that nobody was injured.
“As we navigate this difficult transition one thing is sure, we will keep the spirit of Joey’s alive as we move forward one day at a time,” it said.
In a statement posted to social media, Mount Allison University, just down the street from the fire, said the blaze at Joey’s restaurant began around 9:30 a.m.
“Fortunately, there have been no injuries. Local fire department and first responders are onsite and continuing efforts to get the fire under control — please stay away from the area to allow this work to continue safely,” the statement said.
The university said the fire left four students and one staff member with apartments in the building temporarily homeless, and the university is working with them to provide support and accommodation.
Around 20 more students living nearby “have also been impacted and have left their homes due to the smoke.”
“It is unclear when they may be able to return to their homes,” it said.
Mount Allison added there is an unrelated power outage in Sackville, but the campus has not been affected and is still open.
“University staff will continue to work through the weekend with those directly and indirectly impacted by the fire and power situation, to provide as much support as possible,” it said.
It said an intake centre was set up in the basement of the chapel on campus, which will be open until 8 p.m. Friday. They are looking for donations of clothing, personal hygiene items, towels, face cloths, blankets and gift cards.
‘You couldn’t see more than two houses down’
Alex Vye said he was driving down Main Street around 12:30 p.m. and the area was “thick with smoke.”
“My daughter said, ‘Roll up the window,’ because you could smell it. It smelled like a barbecue,” he said. “It was so thick, you couldn’t see more than two houses down.”
Vye, a photographer, got out to take some pictures and videos. He said he overheard a nearby firefighter talking over the radio about the possibility of the fire spreading, as it was a windy day.
He didn’t stay long due to the smoky conditions, which reminded him of fog. He said he smelled so strongly of smoke when he got home that he had to change clothes.
“That was the strangest thing, just how thick the smoke was,” said Vye.
The Guardian Corner Drug Store said in a Facebook post that due to the fire, it will delay opening “until it is safe to do so.”
“It will likely be sometime tomorrow. We are very sorry for any inconvenience,” it said.
As well, the nearby Sackville United Church cancelled its 11 a.m. Good Friday service due to the fire.
In a tweet shortly after noon, area MLA Megan Mitton said it was unclear how bad the damage was but her “heart goes out to everyone impacted.”
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