Rubble and bricks are being cleared from a section of Talbot Street in downtown St. Thomas, Ont. which was destroyed by fire in December. “They started actively remediating the site about three weeks ago,” said Angelo De Cicco, chief building official for the city. “They moved in, mobilized on site, and started removal and shoring, which needs to be done to stabilize and make sure there is no further shifting of the buildings that remain.” He estimates the project will be completed in two to three weeks. On Dec. 18, 2025, fire ripped through downtown businesses and apartments. Residents were displaced and two businesses were destroyed. Yurek Pharmacy next door has reopened. Unfortunately, they are only able to use less than a quarter of their property after smoke and water damage. “it’s been a long four months,” said owner Jeff Yurek. “We’ve had over 30 plus dumpsters just getting rid of the rubble within our own store itself, dealing with insurance and getting the proper permits, but we are starting to head in the right direction. Staff is working around the clock over here, and we’re producing good service for our clients.” They had more than two feet of water in their basement, which has finished drying. They have started to rebuild half of their main floor space, and floors two and three must be totally rebuilt. While the craftsmanship of the buildings (built in 1882) saved Yurek Pharmacy, Crazy Joe’s Gym and the Lucky Kitchen restaurant were destroyed in the fire. The gym has not reopened, but the Lucky Kitchen has a new location on Churchill Crescent in the south end of the city. “The first two months, we had to look for another location,” said Ying Chau, owner of the New Lucky Kitchen. “Now, this place is very good. I really appreciate everybody who has supported us.” Chau recalls the morning of Dec. 18, 2025. “It was around 6 or 7 a.m. and we could smell it (smoke),” said Chau, who lived above the restaurant. “Somebody came and then bam, bam, bam on our door and said ‘Fire’. We got in our pajamas and slippers and kept running out. We were lucky that everyone came out safe.” Over the next few weeks, the site will be cleared and then graded. “The owners still have caring and control of the property,” said Di Cicco. “It will be up to them after the work is completed to decide how they wish to move forward.” Yurek might be interested in purchasing the site for parking if the current owners do not wish to rebuild. “They’re still in the middle of the cleanup,” said Yurek. “It’s a different insurance agency than us. Our insurance is talking to their insurance to make sure it’s a good clean up. They’ve got a lot of fill to bring in and then taking their brick off our brick wall is going to be a tedious task. We’re looking forward to seeing what the end result is next door and who knows what happens?” This is soon to become the second major hole in the city’s core. In July 2025, another historic building was destroyed by fire. The city is currently working with the owners of that property to move forward as soon as possible.
