'A lot of history': Old Marina Restaurant in Puslinch, Ont. considered total loss after fire

The Old Marina Restaurant is considered a total loss after a devastating fire ripped through the building just outside Cambridge, Ont. on Saturday.

This is the second destructive fire at the restaurant on the shores of Puslinch Lake since it opened in the early 1990s.

Firefighters got the call early Saturday afternoon.

Cambridge Fire was the first on scene and was later joined by at least five other local fire departments.

”Cambridge crews arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and heat in the building,” Puslinch Fire Department Chief Tom Mulvey said.

“They made an attempt to enter the building and they could not at that time. [The] incident commander from Cambridge had his crews move out and do what they call a defensive attack by putting water on the fire from the outside.”

The Old Marina Restaurant on Puslinch Lake on fire. (Terry Kelly/CTV Kitchener) (July 30, 2022)

Mulvey said the fire is believed to have started in the basement.

“Of course we haven’t been able to get in to have a look around to see what the cause was,” he continued. “We don’t consider it a suspicious fire at this time.”

No injuries have been reported

WITNESS ACCOUNTS

Witnesses told CTV News the fire didn’t seem very big initially, but within minutes, it started to grow.

“It didn’t seem too bad at first then all of a sudden I could see the flames coming through and the windows blowing out,” said Albert Christian.

“It was about one hour there was no flame, it was just the smoke,” said Mona Ghaenizabeh. “And then the flame came. It was very sad, very sad to see.”

A LOCAL LANDMARK

Word of the fire spread quickly, leaving many in the community devastated. The Old Marina Restaurant has been a staple for decades and also had a serious fire in 2005.

"You couldn't see anything but smoke at one point," said witness Kristy Holdaway. "It's just sad for the owners, you know, being in the park, you know the owners, and they've had a lot of hardship this year, so it's sad for them."

Holdaway said people come from all over the visit the restaurant.

“It's hard to get reservations in here. It's always packed, it's always booked, and it's not just a restaurant, there are activities, people who have their weddings booked here," Holdaway said.

“It’s just a sad day. A lot of memories, a lot of history.”

As crews continued to battle the flames on Saturday, police shut down a section of Lake Road as fire trucks had to leave and get water.

Later in the day, fire crews brought in an excavator to remove the roof of the building to help deal with hotspots inside.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause, as well as how much damage was done.