As Ed and I were leaving the IGA on Government Street yesterday we saw a massive plume of black smoke arising from what appeared to be the Safeway. Ever inquisitive, we parked several blocks away and although it did appear that the Safeway was going up, we saw that it was the new Hamlets project – an assisted living facility currently under development – that was being consumed by flames.
While watching the fire, my appreciation for what firefighters do increased immeasurably. From where we stood across the street from the Safeway was HOT… and those guys were working directly next to the inferno. How they managed to keep the Safeway from turning into the biggest barbeque and weiner roast this town has ever seen was absolutely amazing.
I’ve uploaded a set of 24 pictures to our Flickr account in which you can see how the fire progressed over the course of 20 minutes — from the roof being ablaze to there being almost nothing left of the first building.
Our hearts go out to all those affected by this huge loss – everyone from the workers and contractors involved in the project, to the workers who were to be employed at the facility and those who were to have made the facility their home.
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