The fish plant in St. Mary’s has been destroyed by a fire.
Pictures and videos posted to social media show smoke and flames billowing up into the dark night sky, and firefighters braving strong winds and rainy conditions trying to douse the blaze.
(Photo Via Brad Durnford)
Mayor Steve Ryan, voice choking with emotion, says the situation is “very difficult.”
Ryan was alerted to the fire by his daughter around 9:00 last night and he was the first person on the scene.
“When I got there it was just starting, like it was coming out through the roof. Within about 10 minutes, if that, it just went right through the whole building, (it) just lit up. The wind, the conditions… it was like a perfect storm. The wind – you couldn’t get out of your vehicle, it was just horrendous.”
Ryan says they have an emergency shelter opened up because some houses had to be evacuated.
The mayor says many residents found out last night, but some are just waking up to the news this morning. He recently took a drive past the site and there was a flare-up. Ryan’s voice cracked as he calls the fire “devastating.”
Meetings to be held to determine next steps
Ryan says there will be meetings today to assess the situation and discuss the possibilities.
He notes that about three years ago, new owners took over the facility, and have put a “substantial” amount of money in to it.
Ryan says last summer they had about 350 workers, which were a mix of local people and temporary foreign workers.
He says those workers have heard about the fire and have been sending messages from Mexico.
The mayor says the way the company was able to turn the plant around was a good news story, noting that it had become a big part of the fishery. He believes they had processed about 7-million pounds of crab last year.
Despite the devastating loss, Ryan is spreading a message of hope to residents, saying they fought hard to get what they had, and they will fight hard to get it back.
“It was a success story. Now this is after knocking us down on our knees, but we’ll come back. We’ll come back.”
The full interview with Mayor Ryan can be heard here:
Area MHA Sherry Gambin-Walsh says she is “heartbroken” to hear of the fire at the facility, which she calls a “cornerstone” of the area that provided employment, economic stability and “renewed hope” for many.
