Neepawa blaze destroys building housing Home Hardware, apartments

Flames light up the night sky in Neepawa Wednesday.

Ammunition popped inside Home Hardware in Neepawa as firefighters battled a massive blaze which started just after 6 p.m. on Feb. 25.

Sheri Grant lives three doors down from the store and witnessed the fire.

"I had a look out the window and was shocked," said Grant.

Thirty-seven firefighters from three different departments were on scene.

Crews got the call shortly after staff had locked up for the night.

People gathered with phones, cameras and heavy hearts watching helplessly as the fire reduced a fixture of their community to a pile of rubble.

"Everybody's really shocked,” said Neepawa resident Lyle Morrell. “This is horrendous for our community.”

Twelve people who worked at Home Hardware are now out of a job.

Home Hardware spokesperson Rob Wallace said he wasn’t sure if insurance will cover lost wages, but he said the company is looking into the matter.

There were also four apartment units on top of the store destroyed in the fire, leaving tenants displaced.

There’s another hardware store in town but Neepawa's deputy mayor Isobel Jarema said the loss of Home Hardware will hit hard.

"It's an essential service in town,” said Jarema. “We've been growing as a community for the past couple of years and it's going to have an impact on us."

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze, stopping the flames from spreading to the neighbouring Green Pepper restaurant and that restaurant is still open for business.

"You can operate because the store is running good," said manager Jeffrey Mercado.

It's not clear whether the owner of Home Hardware will rebuild.

Investigators are still trying to sort out the cause of the fire.

No one was hurt.

Home Hardware said it's notified stores in neighbouring communities to help customers who did business at the Neepawa location.