A minor fire that erupted in a vacant downtown Orillia store on Monday morning has sparked some major concerns for several Mississaga Street businesses.
The blaze began in the basement 33 Mississaga St. W., across from the Orillia Public Library. The building is being rented by Suje Torres, who was set to open her new candle shop, Canelle, in just two weeks.
"My husband and I have been working for five months to do the renovations and inventory," she explained while fighting back tears. "It's devastating that we were almost ready."
All of Torres' inventory and equipment was in the basement at the time of the blaze. She can’t check on her inventory until insurance inspectors complete their investigation.
"I have no idea what I have lost and what I have left," she said. "I have to wait for them to finish before I can see."
Deputy Fire Chief Chris Ferry said that while the fire is not considered suspicious, the cause is "undetermined."
Torres says it started in a space that wasn't being used where there were no products.
"There is absolutely no outlet, no cables, no piping, absolutely nothing that would lead you to think would start a fire," she said. "There was nothing in there that was high risk."
Torres, 38, said she has never lit a candle in her shop because of safety concerns. She also says there is no process in the making of her candles that could start a fire.
"I make the wax with a special melting pot that I just plug in," she said.
Torres says she is being supported by her neighbouring businesses during this difficult time.
"Eclectic Café, Tiffany's Hair & Co, and Creative Nomad Studios have offered me a space to sell whatever I may have left until I can get things figured out," she said.
Torres says she isn't giving up on her business and will do whatever is necessary to get her business up and running.
"I've worked too hard for this," she said. "I have too much money and family time invested here, so we will figure something out."
Coach House Kids, a gently used children’s clothing store that is located two units over from the blaze, has also been gravely impacted by yesterday's fire.
Store owner Lora Connor says smoke from the fire has caused all her products to be unsaleable.
"I cannot sell anything that has the smell of smoke," she explained. "It's just not safe for children."
Connor is hoping to replace the damaged stock for those under 24 months old, and safely clean what she can salvage through a decontamination process.
"Anything that has ever been exposed to smoke I don't think should be put on a baby," she said.
Coach House Kids will be closed this week and maybe again next week while Connor tries to regroup. The incident will cause Connor's business to lose about $7,500, she estimated, noting most of the costs will be covered by insurance.
"It's a big hit," she said. "It's been quite stressful, but the community has been really supportive."
For those who want to assist, Connor will be buying or accepting donations of "good-condition" clothes for newborns to 24-month-old babies. She can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Eclectic Café, which is located on the corner of Mississaga Street West and Andrew Street South, was also impacted by the fire and were unable to open on Monday.
"We had smoke all throughout our premises and unit," said co-owner and head chef Melanie Robinson. "That was a whole day of calling off staff, cleaning, and sorting through everything."
As per Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit guidelines, Eclectic Café had to throw out food products and packaging that were exposed to smoke. The eatery suffered a $1,000 to $1,500 loss.
"It really sucks as a business owner," Robinson said. "Especially for a restaurant in a time when it's not our busy season and every penny counts and matters."
Robinson is hopeful that Eclectic Café can recoup their losses this week and made a social media post asking people to support the local businesses impacted by the blaze.
"We are hoping that people will be kind and will come to visit the businesses that were impacted," she said. "Orillia is really good at that."
Robinson notes that Tiffany's Hair & Co., located directly beside Canelle, is closed today.
"The smell is just so strong that it is unpleasant to be in," she said. "While there wasn't a total building lost, smoke is just as devastating."
