Fire levels Co-op in Bjorkdale

The Co-op store in the small community of Bjorkdale in east-central Saskatchewan has burned to the ground. The fire broke out last night around 6:45.

The Bjorkdale Fire Department was first on the scene, followed by fire crews from Tisdale and Porcupine Plain.

However, they couldn’t save the co-op itself, although they did stop the blaze from spreading to the nearby gas bar.

So far there is no clear estimate of damage, or a cause.

“The investigation is early,” said Dave Needham, with the provincial Fire Commissioner’s Office.

”They were having electrical problems prior to the fire, so of course that’s something we’ll look very closely at,” he told CTV’s Ben Miljure.

The Co-op was one of only a few businesses in Bjorkdale, which has a population of just over 200.

The store’s loss is expected to have a significant impact on the community, at least in the short term.