Fire guts Cuisine of India on Columbia Avenue
By Kyra Hoggan
The Cuisine of India restaurant on Columbia Avenue was largely destroyed by late-night fire, according to Castlegar fire chief Gerry Rempel.
Rempel said the call came in to the fire department at around 12:40 a.m., after a passerby noticed smoke in the dining room of the restaurant and called 9-1-1.
“Once our guys got in here, they put it out pretty quickly, but the mop-up took a long time,” said Rempel, who was still on scene well after noon today.
He said he doesn’t yet know the cause of the fire, but can confirm it originated in the basement, where it destroyed an office, supply and storage rooms, and a break/sleeping area.
“It’s not totally gutted, but the majority of the downstairs has fire damage,” he said. “The upstairs, the restaurant part, is mostly smoke and heat damage, but that’s significant, too.”
Rempel said he estimates the damage at around $50,000 – $60,000.
Earlier this morning, the regional advisor from the office of the fire commissioner visited the scene, and Rempel will be spending the lunch hour, at least, with the electrical inspector as he peruses the damage.
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