Flames rip through post office in Belwood

Mail and parcels have been moved to Fergus after flames tore through a Belwood post office early Tuesday morning.

Centre Wellington Fire Department said crews were called to the multi-unit building on George Street around 12:20 a.m. Thirty firefighters and seven trucks responded.

"It was just a blaze. It was right above the peak of the roof," George Kelly, a Belwood resident said. “The windows blew out, the water was 30 to 40 feet in the air. They were spraying on it.”

No one was living in the residential units and no injuries have been reported.

Firefighters were able to save most of the mail and parcels and move them to the post office in Fergus.

"I just hope it comes back to Belwood, because I hate going to Fergus. I don't drive,” Kelly said. “I’ll get my daughter to go and get it.”

According to Canada Post, it is still assessing the damage. Customers are being told they can access temporary services at the St Andrews Street and Tower Street Post Offices in Fergus, as well as the Elora Post Office.

“We take these matters and the security of the mail very seriously. This unfortunate situation is out of our control and we thank our customers for their understanding,” Valérie Chartrand, a media relations spokesperson with Canada Post, said in an email.

Canada Post said anyone missing a mail item or parcel should contact the sender and begin their claim for a refund or have the parcel sent to them again.

The damage to the building was extensive.

“This was a really difficult building, a lot of combustibles in it,” Centre Wellington Deputy Fire Chief Johnathan Karn said. “It was an older building so there was a lot of void spaces, so we had to a lot of overhaul and there was a lot of hot spots to deal with.”

What started the fire is not known. The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate.

"Until we can excavate through the material and actually find necessary evidence, everything would still be considered viable at this point," Mike Ross, an investigator with the Office of the Fire Marshall said.

Damage to the building was extensive. (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)

As of 8 a.m., the fire appeared to be out, but Karn said Centre Wellington Fire would leave one truck at the scene to deal with any possible flare ups.

BUILDING OWNER LOSES UNITS

The owner of the multi-unit building said she purchased the building in May in hopes of making money off the residential units that are inside. She said she was called to the scene in the morning and was heartbroken when she saw the fire.

"We put all of our money in this and when I saw this burning in flames – It broke my heart," Ravinder Preet, the owner of the building said.

Preet also owns a restaurant directly beside the multi-unit building. She said the restaurant was not damaged, but she has sunk a lot of her money into the building investment.

"We don't know. We are just relying on the investigators and the insurance, because whatever we were having we have already put into this," Preet said.