After excavators removed the building’s roof to help eliminate hot spots inside, all that remained Monday were the blackened, ashen remains of one of the area’s iconic restaurants. Five different fire departments were called to the scene Saturday afternoon to put out the blaze, with firefighters coming from as far away as Cambridge and Guelph. The building continued to smolder into Sunday, with firefighters spraying water on hot spots more than 24 hours after it first started. Only a few symbolic walls of the interior wooden structure remained on Monday, with most of the building being demolished. A contractor was on site with a small crew preparing to clear most of the remaining debris. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, although it is believed to have started in the basement. Fire crews will begin their investigation once the structure is completely demolished and they can safely enter the basement. It is the second time the community has been hit by a devastating fire in the past 17 years. In 2005, the original restaurant was destroyed by fire, only to be replaced two years later in 2007. The current structure was in place for 15 years before Saturday’s fire. A red fence surrounded the former building on Monday and a steady stream of cars pulled into the gravel parking lot, each filled with passengers clutching cameras and phones trying to take pictures and video of the wreckage. A private security guard was on duty, called by the restaurant’s ownership after there were multiple reports of people trying to steal valuables from the wreckage on Sunday. “People were coming in and trying to take stuff,” said Michelle Hurd, who lives in the neighboring trailer park. “It’s very sad when you have something as destructive as this and people come and try to steal things.” The road to the park was closed for much of Saturday as fire crews worked to battle the blaze – only park residents were initially allowed inside. But after the road reopened, the cars didn’t stop coming. “It was still burning yesterday, and they’re walking right over and trying to get signs and whatever they can get their hands on,” said Nancy Gray, another park resident out for a walk Monday. Heard and Gray were both in their trailers Saturday and said they first noticed the smoke in the early afternoon. “It didn’t look like anything serious,” Hurd said. “I actually came home and went inside before we noticed it was getting any worse.” Thick black smoke soon began billowing through the air, forcing nearby residents to cover their hatches and close all their doors and windows. The smoke smelled like a burning tire pit, said Terry Kennedy, who has lived in his trailer since 2000. He was there in 2005 when the first fire destroyed the original restaurant — this one was bigger, he said. “We were lucky because the wind was blowing toward the lake,” he said, sitting in a rocking chair with his neighbor, Brenda Walsh. “If the wind had been blowing the other way, they would have had to evacuate that whole area because the smoke was so thick and black,” Walsh added. “There were flames 20 feet up the building, you could feel the heat.” Heard, watching from a safe distance, said the furnace eventually exploded in an explosion of flame, smoke and sound — “that place was really, really scary,” she said. Fortunately, everyone inside the building was evacuated and no injuries were reported. Residents of the trailer park stood around for hours as firefighters continued to put out the fire late into the night, watching their gathering place burn to the ground. Some played cards while others took pictures and videos. Some of the residents with houses nearby packed up so they could escape the smoke. Many others continued through the weekend, mostly staying indoors. The trailer park fills up for the summer months with a mix of longtime residents and newcomers, some with young families and others long since retired. The Kennedys have three generations of real estate in the land, and a bunch of friends they’ve made over the years. “It’s a wonderful community,” he said. “Everyone is extremely friendly. the owners were always nice to everyone. There were never any problems.” Now, as the site continues to be cleaned up and a Monday rainstorm begins to wash away the smell, community residents hope that history will repeat itself and a new restaurant will one day stand in the place of the ruins. “The restaurant was always full and people were always coming in and out,” Heard said. “I know the last time it burned down it took two years to rebuild. So it might not be possible for next year, but hopefully something will come back.” SHARE:
