(Photo Via Brad Durnford)
The fish plant in St. Mary’s has been destroyed by a fire.
Pictures and videos posted to social media show smoke and flames billowing up into the dark night sky, and firefighters braving strong winds and rainy conditions trying to douse the blaze.
(Photo Via Brad Durnford)
Mayor Steve Ryan, voice riddled with emotion, says the situation is “very difficult.”
Ryan was alerted to the fire by his daughter around 9:00 last night and was the first person on the scene.
“When I got there it was just starting, like it was coming out through the roof. Within about 10 minutes, if that, it just went right through the whole building, (it) just lit up. The wind, the conditions… it was like a perfect storm. The wind – you couldn’t get out of your vehicle, it was just horrendous.”
Ryan says they have an emergency shelter opened up because some houses had to be evacuated.
The mayor says many residents found out last night, but some are just waking up to the news this morning. He recently took a drive past the site and there was a flare-up. Ryan’s voice cracks as he calls the fire “devastating.”
Area MHA Sherry Gambin-Walsh says she is “heartbroken” to hear of the fire at the facility, which she calls a “cornerstone” of the area that provided employment, economic stability and “renewed hope” for many.
