Comox, B.C., coffee shop damaged in overnight fire
A popular Comox Valley coffee shop was heavily damaged by fire Tuesday morning.
Mackai Sharp and his friend were at the Comox Marina shortly after midnight when they heard alarms ringing and went to investigate and found heavy white smoke pouring out of the nearby Komox Grind Espresso & Smoothie Bar.
Comox assistant fire chief Jim Lariviere says crews found smoke showing and blackened windows when they arrived. (CTV News)
Sharp, who has been a frequent customer of the business, called 911 to alert first responders.
“Komox Grind is a popular spot because it’s open after school so we used to go hang out there. They’re a pretty iconic local business,” Sharp says.
Comox assistant fire chief Jim Lariviere says crews found smoke showing and blackened windows when they arrived.
“There was quite a bit of heat and we made entry and found it was an electrical fire,” Lariviere says.
He says the business sustained smoke and water damage and he estimates about 25 people were forced out of the condos above the business.
“It’s a multi-occupant building with residential and mixed-commercial," he says. "The building’s got a monitored fire alarm system so all the residential people who live above the unit were all evacuated."
Comox assistant fire chief Jim Lariviere says crews found smoke showing and blackened windows when they arrived. (CTV News)
Residents were allowed back into their units a short time later.
"After the alarms started going off, residents started trickling out towards the road and we had a little conversation with them," Sharp says. "I was really concerned it was in the apartment complex."
It’s not known how long the establishment will be closed for repairs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.