'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.
Bit of a fire at old marina restaurant at puslinch lake pic.twitter.com/0qGUdkDYYr
— Brent Bullough (@brent_bullough) July 30, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.