A fire that broke out in the early morning hours of Monday (May 24) morning has destroyed a 15-year-old bar in New Westminster.
Police and firefighters were on scene at 3 a.m. fighting the blaze in the 400-block of Columbia Street. The blaze shut down the surrounding areas and cut power for an entire day.
On their Facebook page, the Heritage Grill said that despite being hopeful at first that fire crews had contained the blaze, the nearly 16-year-old establishment was no more.
“At some point earlier in the day we were hopeful that the fire had been somewhat brought under control and that something might be salvageable. Sadly throughout the day, events took a turn for the worse,” the grill’s social media page stated.
“We would have been celebrating our 16 year anniversary in just four days. Now there is nothing left. It has been an honor welcoming so many of you to “The Grill” over the past almost 16 years. No doubt the monumental loss will hit home for us and the community in the coming days and weeks.”
The building also houses Happy Buddha Tattoo, which noted on Facebook that they are “absolutely devastated,” but aren’t yet sure about the extend of the damage, and Vietnamese restaurant Pho Pho You, which noted they are relieved that no one was injured in the blaze.
“From what we understand our restaurant was not catastrophically burned but we are worried about the infrastructure of the whole building,” the restaurant added.
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote thanked first responders and offered his condolences.
“I’m saddened to see the news of the fire on Columbia St this morning. This is absolutely devastating for several local businesses and for our community,” he said.
