$2M fire ravages downtown Tilbury building

A Friday evening blaze in downtown Tilbury caused $2 million in damage, displacing businesses and tenants, Chatham-Kent fire officials say.

Crews were called at 7 p.m. to 14 Queen St. N., with a total of 18 apparatus and 58 firefighters responding from six stations.

“Businesses occupy the first storey with apartments above on the second storey,” fire officials said in a release Saturday morning.

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“There are displaced occupants that are in the care of victim services and CKPS (Chatham-Kent Police Service). No reported injuries.”

Responding stations included Stations 1 and 2 Chatham, Station 15 Raleigh North, Station 17 Merlin, Station 19 Tilbury and Station 20 Wheatley.

“Fire and water damage is extensive with roof collapse,” with the cause currently listed as undetermined, officials added.

Crews remained at the scene Saturday, with Queen Street North still closed to traffic and pedestrians.

In a social media post, Mark Authier, a former West Kent councillor, called it a “sad night” in Tilbury.

“My heartfelt wishes for the businesses and the employees to hopefully get back running if not in the current location, in another. Also, to the tenants that lived above these businesses,” he said.

Authier later added that

two people were displaced from their apartments. The Tilbury Help Centre will collect items for them starting Monday.

He credited fire crews for working in windy conditions and preventing further damage to the block.

“To all the firefighters that helped battle the blaze, thank you,” he said. “I know there were not only our Tilbury firefighters, but many from out of town.”

Mayor Darrin Canniff said support services have been dispatched to help the affected tenants and businesses.

“Once again, we saw the importance of the impressive collaboration between all the stations and the fire chiefs from throughout Chatham-Kent,” he said.

It was the second significant fire this year in a downtown Chatham-Kent community, with a $3 million blaze occurring on Main Street in Bothwell in January.

There were no injuries reported in that fire, however, it devastated several businesses and also impacted the post office.