A 14-year-old male went to court today, charged after a large fire at a Dollarama in the Parkdale Plaza.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has confirmed that the fire on Friday afternoon was deliberately set.
Many businesses in the plaza are shocked; over 20 business owners are affected, with multiple staff.
“You don't realize how many people lives has been affected until you really see it up close and you have a meeting like this,” said Denise Price from the Homestyle Diner.
Waterloo Fire gathered with public health, electrical safety inspectors as well as the police on Sunday, to inform the more than 20 business owners who operate out of the Parkdale Plaza the current status of the investigation.
“It just helps reassure us that they're working as quickly as possible to get us back up and running. It helps us reassure our staff that as soon as we can get in, that we will have their jobs and we can let our customers know that we can be open again,” said Craig Yantz from Homestyle Diner.
“It’s shocking to know that an act like that can cause such upheaval and heartache,” said Cindy Gagne from Pet Place.
“I hope that the boy understands the ramifications you know, and understands the severity of what actually happened here,” said Nicole Dore from pro Martial Arts.
Many of the businesses want to know when they will be allowed back into their establishments, and back to business.
Timelines vary for each business.
On Sunday some businesses further away from the fire were able to go in and take a few things.
KW Asian Foods had opened for the first time on Friday. They now have to wait until public health can inspect the store.
“We are losing business now, I am thinking how to cover the operating cost,” said Gannayya Bommali, from KW Asian Foods.
Investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office have wrapped up their investigation.
Police and fire are expected to hand over the scene to the property manager in about two days
