3 buildings lost after fire rips through southwestern Ontario community of Bothwell

Residents in the small southwestern Ontario community of Bothwell are expressing sadness and disbelief following an early morning fire that tore through several buildings on the community's main drag early Friday morning.

The fire in the community located in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent destroyed two buildings that housed the Bothwell Diner and Mrs. A's General Store. It severely damaged the town's Canada Post office, which officials said is likely beyond repair.

First responders received a call at 2:47 a.m., from a resident warning of large flames engulfing a building on Main Street, according to officials. Within six minutes, fire crews, many of them volunteer, arrived on scene and began fighting the blaze.

"It was a huge team effort," said Chatham-Kent Fire Chief Chris Case. "I'm always humbled when I see that coming together. Speaking to the chiefs operating on the scene, they were equally blown away by the level of support that we got out there."

The response included roughly 40 firefighters from four stations, a fire command unit from Chatham, a presence from Chatham-Kent EMS and police. Municipal workers were also out ensuring the roads remained salted, with hydro workers busy shutting off gas to the affected buildings, Case said.

It took crews approximately seven hours to put out the fire which required an excavator to move rubble.

"The community can be rightfully proud of their public services today," Case added. "The fact that we didn't have any injuries is a testimony to just how hard everybody worked last night."

As members of the small community adapt to the reality of what happened Monday morning, an outpouring of support for the affected businesses and a sense of grief was on full display on social media.

Dozens of social media posts urged strength in difficult times and pointed to the importance of the businesses that were lost.

That's a sentiment that's not lost on Case, who throughout his career has seen his fair share of devastating fires in rural communities.

"It's a blow for a community. People will continually see those damaged buildings until they get rebuilt, [and that's] why we operate with economic development to support the business owners," he said.

While an official, firm damage estimate has yet to be released, Case said preliminary figures were near $3 million.

The fire's cause was deemed to be accidental.