Fire in Waterloo this morning

[Schwa.]

[localcrew]

I'm pretty sure that's Iceland....

[MamaPink]

WOW! So sad. Breakfast at Mel's Diner was the best way to solve a hangover back in the day. I can't believe it's gone!

[Prost]

NO WAY! Mel's is gone! Sad. Very Sad.

[Thorgnor]

Yeah, but so is Loose Change Louie's, finally...

[AD]

the sushi place too?

[mark tonin]

April 23, 2010

By Cherri Greeno, Record staff

WATERLOO — They stood and watched, not knowing what to do or what to say.

Their businesses, many of which had been popular attractions to students and area residents, were destroyed by an early morning fire that quickly ripped through Campus Court Plaza, at 140 University Ave. W.

“This is the saddest day of my life,†said Benny Afrouzi, owner of University Vision Centre.

“That's 22 years of work there.â€

Businesses affected by the blaze include Mel's Diner, Tabu, Mr. Sushi, University Vision Centre, Sugar Mountain and Caesar Martini's.

Owners of the stores were called shortly after the blaze broke out around 5:30 a.m. They stood crying and hugging each other as firefighters tried to save their businesses.

“We came here and the building was gone,†Elaine Chung, owner of Mr. Sushi, said through tears. “We lost everything. We never imagined this kind of thing.â€

Afrouzi said he employed seven people at University Vision Centre, who are now out of their jobs. They've had about 40,000 patients “that we've looked after all these years,†he said. All of the patient charts are now destroyed, he said.

“We're just asking our patients to be patient,†Afrouzi said, “until we find a solution to this disaster.â€

Cat Guyatt, manager of Sugar Mountain, stood behind yellow police tape with a group of friends and co-workers, watching as her job went up in flames.

“It’s really sad,†she said. “We are all such good friends. This is what brought us together and now it’s gone.â€

Meagan Magson, an employee at the store, said she heard about the fire from a friend and came straight down.

“We were hoping it wasn't that bad,†she said. “I'll have to look for another job. I just have to find something ASAP because I have bills.â€

It took just 90 minutes for fire to burn down Mel's Diner, a business Jerry Smith and his wife, Angela, have spent 15 years building up.

“A lot of memories burned today,†Jerry Smith said Thursday night.

By then, more than 5,000 people had joined a pair of Mel's memorial sites on Facebook.

“Mel's has always been very good to us,†Smith said. “But I never understood the magnitude of it … it's overwhelming, to say the least.â€

Acting Waterloo Fire Chief Larry Brassard said when firefighters arrived, the building was engulfed in flames. It has a combustible roof structure, which means “you don't stop them (flames),†he said.

Three aerial trucks had to be called in so firefighters could climb high and soak the roof with water. Two fire trucks from Kitchener assisted the crews from Waterloo.

“It's a devastating event for anybody,†Brassard said. “Fire is a life-changing event, whether it's your home or business.â€

It will likely be some time before investigators can determine the cause of the blaze.

“We're not to that point where we can think about a cause,†Brassard said Thursday. “It's too early to speculate.â€

Caesar Martini's, which sits at one end of the plaza, received the least amount of damage thanks to a fire wall that separates the restaurant from the other stores. The exterior brick wall was able to stop the flames from destroying that business, said John Percy, public education officer for the Waterloo Fire Department.

“It did its job,†he said. “It contained the fire to the left.â€

Still, the restaurant received significant water damage. The owner said it'll be awhile before he's able to get in and assess the damage.

Percy said plaza stores did not have sprinklers inside, which would have “helped put out the fire or contained it.†Sprinklers are not required but are recommended, Percy said.

Waterloo Regional Police blocked roads at University Avenue and Seagram Drive, and at University Avenue and Albert Street as firefighters fought the blaze.

The plaza is surrounded by student housing along Lester Street and University Avenue and many residents had to be evacuated because of the thick smoke.

Bilal Yousuf, a third-year University of Waterloo student, said he awoke to the fire alarm going off in his building. He looked across the street and saw “big flames, massive flames.

“I was scared of the gas, that there could be a leak and this building could catch fire,†he said.

Chris Waddilove was working the night shift at a nearby RIM office and had just gone outside for a cigarette break when he saw smoke. At first he thought his building was testing generators.

Then, he realized it was a fire.

“There were immense flames pouring from the roof,†he said. “I've seen a lot of fires . . . but nothing this big.â€

He shot video on his cellphone.

Susan Griesbaum, property manager for Campus Court Development, said she was in shock when she received the phone call Thursday morning.

She came out to the scene to talk to the owners.

“There are a loss of jobs, loss of businesses,†she said. “It's a real shock for everybody.â€

It's estimated that about 100 people have lost their jobs. The Smiths employed about 30 people at Mel's, many of them students.

Paul McGough, owner of Encore Inspired Casual Cuisine, formerly Ali Baba Steak House, is planning a fundraiser for April 30 to help those who lost their jobs. It will be held at 8 p.m. at 130 King Street South.

“We can't lose sight of the fact that people who work in those places are real people,†McGough said.

McGough said staff who are out of a job can leave a résumé at his restaurant and lounge.

The early speculation, Smith said, is that the property will be rebuilt and they'll be back in business.

“The consolation will come if we're able to put it back together,†he said.

Because of the size of the fire and the extent of damages, the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office has been called in to investigate the cause.

Investigators remained at the scene until Thursday evening, and will be returning this morning.

A damage estimate hasn't been set.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call Waterloo's Fire Prevention Division at 519-884-2121.

cgreeno@therecord.com, with files from Brent Davis

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Brutal.

[edger]

Wow! Those were my old stomping grounds. Scary stuff. Thankfully no one was killed.

[bouche]

I wonder what it smelled like as sugar mountain burned.

[Northern Wish]

I wonder what color the flames were above Sugar Mountain?

[balogna pogna]

I wonder what it smelled like as sugar mountain burned.

We drove by last night to try and smell the burnt candy. No luck.