If you ever thought firefighters have no feelings for the people affected by the fires they fight, all you have to do is talk to Timmins deputy fire chief Ellard Beaven.
In the wake of last Friday’s fire that shut down East Side Mario’s restaurant, Beaven commented to My Timmins Now Dot Com on the impact on employees of the restaurant.
“It’s unfortunate they’ll be out of work for an extended period of time by the time this is totally renovated and cleaned out, right?”
Flames were confined to the kitchen, but there is severe smoke damage to the entire building.
The long weekend probably would have been busy, with events like the Thériault reunion bringing people into Timmins.
The deputy says the situation is unfortunate for the owner and all the staff.
“I’m not sure what the delay is to receive unemployment and that,” Beaven says, “but you know, these people live off of tips, so this is a huge impact for a lot of staff.”
The fire is considered accidental. The damage estimate tops half-a-million dollars.