Fire at St. Jacobs Market pegged at close to $2 million

Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's office survey the remains of the main building at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market in Waterloo, Ontario, Monday, Sept. 2, 2013. (Geoff Robins / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Fire crews were called early Monday morning to battle a major fire at the two-storey St. Jacobs Farmers' Market located just outside the City of Waterloo.

Fire officials say a call came around 1:45 a.m. about a fire at the main building.

40 firefighters from four Woolwich Township detachments responded to the scene.

Woolwich Township Deputy Fire Chief Dale Martin says the fire gutted the complex’s main building.

The 24,000 square foot wooden building is home to around 60 market vendors.   Martin says the wooden structure along with fabrics and other materials sold by vendors fuelled the blaze.

Fire crews worked quickly to control the blaze and keep it from spreading to other areas of the market.

Martin says it took about three hours to get the fire under control and the roof collapsed shortly after crews began working to put the fire out.

He says the market’s outdoor section could be open to food vendors and the public by Thursday.

Mayor Todd Cowan says the community is in shock.  “The St. Jacobs Market is an iconic site in the Township and is an established, well known destination for tourism across the province.”

President of the Ontario Livestock Exchange tells CTV News that the livestock barn was not affected.  The livestock auction will go as planned on Tuesday morning starting at 7 a.m.

It’s not immediately clear what caused the blaze.

No one was injured.

Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating.

Damage estimate is now pegged at close to $2 million.

With files from The Canadian Press