Stonewall fire forever changes community’s downtown

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The Mayor of Stonewall says one building was completely destroyed and two more sustained significant damages from a fire in the town’s downtown core last week.

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“While everyone is grateful that no one was hurt, the community is mourning the loss we suffered last Friday,” Stonewall Mayor Sandra Smith said.

A fire broke out in the early morning hours last Friday at a building in the 300 block of Main Street, in the town located north of Winnipeg.

The Stonewall Rockwood Fire Department (SRFD), RCMP, and EMS were dispatched and to the scene and, along with assistance from the Teulon and Stony Mountain fire departments, were able to contain the fire, but not before it caused what is being called “significant” damage to three structures in the area.

“There was extensive damage to two buildings from fire, water damage, and smoke,” Smith said. “A third building experienced mostly smoke damage only, but it was significant as well.”

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A building at 330 Main, which housed graphic design business Doctor Decal was destroyed, while Sig’s Grill, a popular restaurant and coffee shop at 334 Main suffered damages, and is now temporarily closed while those damages are accessed and there was smoke damage to a building at 326 Main St.

Smith said Sig’s restaurant is “famous in and around Stonewall with a dedicated following who will miss it while it is closed.”

And with a population of about 4,800 residents, Smith said the fire will leave a lasting mark on the small town, as businesses work to rebuild or relocate and the look of Main Street has been permanently altered.

“Stonewall is a very tight-knit community and many of us know the business owners and residents impacted by the fire,” she said. “It is never easy to see a part of your town lost to fire, and the visual and emotional impacts will stay with the community for quite some time.

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“For the most part, the overall mood of the community is a sense of loss, potential loss of businesses, although that is yet to be determined, the loss of a community gathering place in Sig’s, and a loss of the makeup of our Main Street.”

Smith commended the work of emergency workers who she said got to the scene of the fire quickly and were able to contain it before it spread.

“Without their heroic efforts the end result could have been so much worse,” Smith said.

No injuries were reported resulting from the fire, officials said, and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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