KENORA - The fire at the Hungry Pug broke out after 2 a.m. Tuesday morning damaged the building beside it, which forced surrounding small businesses to close for the day as fire crews worked to put out the early morning fire.
Later that day, the charred building which housed the restaurant was demolished.
“We were dispatched to a fire with Kenora Fire and Kenora Ambulance. Luckily, we have a pretty good fire department here, and they were able to stop it from spreading to any nearby buildings. Not saying there isn’t damage or smoke nearby. A couple of blocks away I could still smell the smoke,” said Cons. Jason Canfield.
Canfield went on to say that the fire is still being investigated and no one is in custody.
“We are just trying to figure out through video around town. We are trying to find witnesses. We have a witness who might know what happened,” said Canfield.
When asked if the Hungry Pug fire was connected to some of the reports of fires around the city, Canfield said, “we don’t know if they were related, but just knowing there were multiple fires that were set, obviously, we are going to consider anything suspicious until we provide it otherwise.”
On Tuesday morning, two more fires were set: one to a Kenora Miners newspaper box and the other to a black truck. A photo of the fire was provided by Chantel Skead on her Facebook page with a caption that reads, “3 hits in one night!!?? This town has a horrible problem and I don’t know how many innocent people, businesses and bystanders have to go down well we figure out what the hell we as a community are doing, and why the onus is on us to solve it. People’s lives could of been taken in last night’s apartment fire!”
After the fire was extinguished at the Hungry Pug, residents of Kenora took to Facebook to show their support by sharing the GofundMe page started by Bekkie Vineberg.
“My name is Bekkie and, like many of you, I was devastated to learn that a staple of our community, The Hungry Pug, was destroyed in a fire this morning,” wrote Vineberg on the GoFundMe website. “For all of us who have breakfasted, lunched, laughed, been warmly welcomed, had dietary preferences and needs lovingly and attentively attended to, and who have been accepted and embraced for who we are, we now have an opportunity to support Carl and his staff as they move through this transition. My hope is that The Hungry Pug, which has served this community so well, has been a beacon of love and acceptance, has provided safe nourishment for so many, will come to be again.”
So far, GoFundMe has raised over half of its $50,000 goal, sitting at $26,300.
