Monday 25 July 2011

102-year-old building damaged by fire


Popular bakery destroyed after blaze caused by Christmas tree lights

Craig Campbell
Published on Jan 04, 2010
No one was injured when a popular Dundas bakery in a century-old downtown building was destroyed by fire Saturday morning.
Susan Preston, owner of the award winning Village Bakery at 65 King St. W, posted a message on her personal Facebook page for concerned friends and customers only hours after fire caused by the electrical short of a Christmas tree light in the bakery forced 10 customers, staff and upstairs tenants out of the building Saturday morning.
A Facebook page has also been created to show support for Village Bakery owner Sue Preston
and her staff.
Firefighters were able to limit the fire to just the bakery, with some smoke and water damage to upstairs apartments and adjoining buildings – in a downtown core filled with old structures.
There was an immediate outpouring of community concern for the local business owner and hope the structure can be repaired and the bakery soon reopened.
Preston’s Facebook post described herself as “devastated” but “safe and surrounded by family and good friends.
“Thank you to everyone and all your kind wishes! Tomorrow has to be better!! My heart goes out to those that didn't have their own bed to sleep in tonight and those that didn't get their birthday cakes! Even the bread was hot today,” Preston wrote.
Firefighters responded to the report of a Christmas tree on fire in the Village Bakery at 10:30 a.m. All 10 customers in the bakery and tenants of three upstairs apartments were safely evacuated.

See youtube video.
See Multimedia Slideshow.
Damage was estimated between $750,000 and $1-million.
The structure at 65 King St. W. was originally a one story wood frame building owned by Ancaster farmer William Ferrie in the 19th Century. By 1909, William Armstrong owned the building and reconstructed it into a two storey brick structure while the neighbouring buildings were still wood frame.
By 1912, all the buildings were brick, and were owned by lawyer W.E.S. Knowles and two merchants.
Among the features noted in a 1994 Town of Dundas heritage survey of 65 King St. W. was a decorative tin ceiling. The building did not have a heritage designation but is included in the City of Hamilton’s buildings of historical or architectural interest.
Check the Dundas Star News website and print edition on Friday, Jan. 8 for ongoing updates on the Village Bakery fire and the local businesses’ future.



http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/198916






Many thanks to the Dundas Star News for the permission to use this article.

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