'We were devastated': Early morning fire destroys shop at Puslinch Lake
No injuries were reported after a large structure fire on Puslinch Lake Friday morning.
Cambridge, Puslinch, and North Dumfries fire departments were called to a shop on McClintock Drive around 4 a.m.
Officials with the Cambridge Fire Deptartment said the fire was fully involved when crews arrived and they had to use a defensive strategy to put it out.
The Cambridge Fire Deptartment issued a tweet at 6:01 a.m. that said Lake Road is closed and are asking drivers to avoid the area.
Crews were at the scene on Friday morning tearing down what was left of the building.
A witness said it was used as an equipment shed.
“By 5:00 they probably had at least eight to 10 trucks here and the blaze was just skyrocketing. It was going crazy,” said Kevin Waugh, who lives nearby.
The property is owned by the McClintock family, who said they were devastated to hear about the fire from officials on Friday morning.
“What can I say we are heartbroken. It’s a huge loss for us,” said Sherron McClintock.
The McClintocks are currently in Florida. That's where they got the text message early in the morning.
"It said please call me a soon as you can as soon as you can. It’s an emergency,” said McClintock.
So far they've only seen the burned rubble in pictures.
“Total shock. Unbelief. And then, we were devastated, because we realized how much stuff was in there,” said McClintock.
They plan to talk to their insurance company about the loss.
“We want answers. But we don’t know when that’s going to happen,” McClintock said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
“They had heat and also electricity so they’re all things are going to look at,” said Brent Smith, the chief fire prevention officer with Puslinch Fire.
Damage is estimated at more than $400,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, 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.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'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.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.