Firefighters in Happy Valley-Goose Bay battled two major fires in the town.
The first, early Saturday morning, extensively damaged the North Mart in Happy Valley.
The second broke out early yesterday and destroyed a building just metre’s from the original fire scene that housed a former restaurant and lounge and a barber shop that was still in operation.
Fire Chief Brad Butler says most of the damage at the supermarket was from smoke and water from the sprinkler system.
Company officials are in from Winnipeg to clean up the store.
Butler says the restaurant and lounge in the second fire at 6:30 am Sunday morning had closed about two weeks ago.
He says they had good reason to believe that nobody was in the building and tried to do a quick attack but the fire took a stranglehold.
The causes of both fires are under investigation.
Extra containers of freight are being brought in to Goose Bay to meet the need after one of the region’s two major grocery stores was damaged by fire over the weekend.
Mayor Wally Andersen says North Mart, which employs some 80 people, had a long history in the region starting with the Hudson Bay Company.
He calls it a major blow because so many people relied on the business for their grocery needs.
Andersen says many people in the area walked to pick up their groceries, and they’re going to find it hard trying to find transportation to the other major grocer in town.
In the meantime, Terrington Co-op is bringing in extra freight to ensure they can meet demand.
He says Uncle Ernest’s and Canex will also be doing what they can to help.
Files Courtesy of vocm.com