Firefighters used more than 6.7 million litres of water to extinguish the blaze that destroyed a downtown building Tuesday, Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry said, with more still to come as crews wait for a demolition crew to make the building safe to enter.
Work got underway Wednesday afternoon to demolish portions of the stately building that had stood at the corner of Peter and Mississaga streets for 130 years to grant firefighters access to its ravaged interior.
“There are still some small fires within the middle that are smouldering. We can see smoke and smell it,” Ferry told OrilliaMatters on Thursday. “There was an unsafe order put on the building. That means that we can’t enter the building until it’s made safe, which is what the demolition crew is doing.”
Ferry hopes firefighters will be able to finish their work by the end of the day today.
“Once they make it safe, then we’ll go in and just put out any hot spots,” he said.
Once that is completed, structural engineers and the city’s chief building official will inspect what remains of the three-storey building. It’s expected the building will need to be completely demolished.
Early estimates indicate the fire did about $4 million in damage and destroyed several businesses that were in the building. There were no injuries reported.
Police have launched a criminal investigation into the fire after a video surfaced of someone lighting cardboard on fire early Tuesday morning. It’s suspected the person lit the fire to keep warm; the fire ignited the blaze that destroyed the building.
Portions of Peter and Mississaga streets remain blocked off, but sections of sidewalks in the area have reopened to the public, and Municipal Parking Lot 5 has reopened for parking, the City of Orillia said in a social media post.
While the fire has taken its toll, numerous local businesses stepped up to help, opening their doors to first responders and those affected by the blaze.
Among those who helped, on the ground, were volunteers from the Orillia Salvation Army, who distributed hot chocolate, warm meals, and food donated by local restaurants to first responders.
Capt. Josh Howard said six Salvation Army volunteers were on the scene Tuesday, and he noted the community rallied to provide support.
“The impact that it’s having on the community, it’s showing that that we’re banding together and showing that support and caring for one another, which is just what Orillians do,” he said.
“It’s just amazing to see in times such as this how people care for one another.”
