Fire tears through Norfolk County restaurant
Crews spent Thursday afternoon battling a large restaurant fire south of Simcoe, Ont.
Police, firefighters and paramedics responded to Sakura Sushi Restaurant, off of Highway 24, just after 4 p.m.
Staff returned from a break following lunch service to begin prepping for dinner when they saw flames coming from the kitchen. After attempting to extinguish the fire on their own, they called for help.
“It appears that everybody has gotten out the restaurant and firefighters are doing a great job of preventing it from spreading to a nearby residence,” OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk said in a video posted to Twitter. “They’re working as hard as they can right now.”
Firefighters managed to contain the flames by 5 p.m., though the fire had already spread through much of the restaurant, leaving extensive damage.
Due to the restaurant's rural location, fire crews encountered some challenges in their response.
"Typical of a rural area fire, they are always going to be fairly advanced when we get to them," said Cory Armstrong-Smith, fire prevention officer with Norfolk County Fire. "Water supply is always something we have to deal with. We actually have five stations here delivering water via tanker and the operations have gone very well. It's just a stubborn fire in an older building they're a challenge to put out."
There were no injuies as a result of the fire and officials say they don't believe it is suspicious.
Highway 24 was closed between St. John’s Road East at Lynn Valley Road, but reopened just before 9 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.