The damage is pegged in the millions after Sporting Life in downtown Collingwood caught fire Monday evening. - John Edwards/Torstar
A fire at Sporting Life in downtown Collingwood caused massive damage Monday evening.
“There is so much damage, I don’t know if we’ll ever know what caused it,” said Collingwood fire Chief Ross Parr.
The Ontario Fire Marshal was called in to investigate the blaze, but Parr said the incident is not deemed suspicious. He told Simcoe.com he suspects the fire started on the roof and spread to other parts of the building.
Parr pegged damages in the millions, including building costs combined with the loss of product.
Staff at the store, which specializes in the sale of ski equipment, smelled smoke around 5:35 p.m. Monday.
“It was a pretty shocking evening,” said Jerry Rynda, vice-president of business for Sporting Life.
“One of the staff tried to extinguish the fire three times, and, when the smoke was getting too thick, he evacuated the building. All staff got out safely last night, which is the most important thing for us.”
Rynda said company officials came to Collingwood and planned to meet with staff to discuss the future of the store, which has been a fixture downtown for 18 years. He said the plan is to re-open.
“Our heritage is in the ski industry and to be in Collngwood. It’s super important to be here,” he said. “We’re obviously going to look at what we can do in the next few months.”
Coun. Bob Madigan operates Mad Dog’s Coffee and Vinyl Café across the street. He said the destruction of the store will have an impact.
“This is a major loss for the downtown,” he said. “We have a lot of fantastic stores, but I would say Sporting Life is an anchor store at the south end of the street. It brings a lot of business to town and to the downtown.”
Link to original article on simcoe.com: ‘There is so much damage.’ Sporting Life plans to re-open in Collingwood after massive fire