Damage to the Cedar Tree restaurant is so severe, the cause may never be known Deputy Fire Chief Greg Saunders told BayToday this morning, as firefighters continued to extinguish the stubborn blaze.
It's believed the fire started on the restaurant side and has consumed a tattoo parlour and upstairs apartments. The rear of the building is collapsed and an excavator may be brought in later today to demolish the building.
Saunders says the fire, which started just after midnight Tuesday, doesn't appear suspicious.
See: Firefighters continue to snuff out downtown fire
And: Fire crews battle downtown blaze
The North Bay Nurse Practitioner Clinic next door at 179 Main St. East appears intact but will suffer heavy water damage.
Jaymie-Lynn Blanchard is the clinic director, and this same situation happened almost five years ago.
"Oh my goodness, it's such an unfortunate circumstance to be in, but we are so grateful for the firefighters and everything that they do to keep our clinic as safe as it has been kept," she told BayToday.
"Given these circumstances every time I see them fighting fires downtown, I'm amazed at the the great job they do, so I can't believe it's happened twice now. I'm still waiting on more information, but at this point, it looks like we're going to have some smoke and water damage, but I am still waiting for an update. I don't know the extent of the damage at this point and that's why I'm not able to to say how long our downtown site will be shut down, but I am grateful that we do have an alternate site to offer services to our patients from."
"Our downtown location is temporarily closed. We will be contacting our patients who had appointments at our downtown site. Our team is very resilient and what we'll be doing is conducting our operations solely out of our West Ferris site in the interim, while our downtown clinic location is shut down."
Patients who had appointments booked for the rest of this week will be contacted to cancel the appointment at our downtown site and then we'll look to rebook them at our West Ferris site so they'll be hearing from our staff.
Patients can still contact the clinic, but the number is the West Ferris number 705-478-7671.
Meanwhile, Cedar Tree Restaurant released a statement on social media.
"Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support during this difficult time," ownership stated.
"The Cedar Tree Restaurant will be closed indefinitely due to an unfortunate fire. We are deeply grateful for your kindness and understanding as we work through this challenge."
See: Fire can't stop this Cedar Tree from growing
And: Authentic cuisine served up at North Bay's only Lebanese restaurant
Some nice words today from John Lechlitner who owns Cecil’s & The Grande.
"We all woke up this morning to learn of another devastating fire downtown overnight. Our collective hearts go out to our neighbours across the street, these people and businesses lost everything in the fire. Thank you to the fire department who did a great job in containing the fire. As well, thank you to the police and paramedics for keeping the area safe.
"We can only hope that the businesses and residents can find new homes and stay part of the downtown community.
"While we are fortunate to be able to stay open as the clean up continues, we encourage all of North Bay to support our neighbours who may be forced to temporarily close today. Collectively we encourage all of North Bay to support and help build a strong and vibrant downtown which is the heart of our community."
The owner of Deluxe Tattoo Social Club Polly Hatter also took to Facebook.
"End of an Era .
"As some may or may not know, late last night we received a call that our building was on fire. Sad to say out of all the war wounds she fought over the years she couldn’t make it through this one. We first want to thank our first responders and The North Bay Fire Department for once again putting their safety at risk to make sure everyone is safe.
"Almost 15 years ago we opened the doors and what a ride it has been. I want to thank all of the amazing talent that I have worked with over the years calling DeLuxe home and helped shape what DeLuxe had become. Thank You to all our guests that graced the wall over years adding your own charm to the story. Last but not least thank you to every single client that was walked through the door of DeLuxe , without you we wouldn’t get to do what we love to do. From Noah , Ashley , Mrs.Hatter and myself thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
North Bay Transit Terminal operations have been temporarily shifted to City Hall due to the fire on Main Street. Bus transfers will take place at the stop on McIntyre Street outside City Hall until further updates are provided. Transit staff are located in the lobby of City Hall for those who need assistance.
Additionally, municipal parking lots 10 and 13, located at the end of Wyld Street, are presently inaccessible. Permit holders for these lots are authorized to park at any alternative municipal lot or on-street parking spot without the risk of receiving a parking ticket.
