Blaze destroys Annapolis County commercial building

It took crews from seven different fire departments to extinguish a large overnight fire at an Annapolis County business.

Crews were called to a fully involved fire at A n C Lobster and Scallop Supplies on Hillsburn Road just before 2 a.m. on Sunday.

"They're a well-known business in the area," said Annapolis Royal Fire Department Chief Andrew Cranton. "They support the community with a lot of jobs and they also support us, the fire department, as well. [They are] very well-known people in the area, very nice.

"We can't thank them enough for what they do for us and our community. It's very unfortunate that they lost their building. We tried to save what we could, but unfortunately it was to no avail."

Cranton said no injuries have been reported. The fire was extinguished just before 8 a.m.

He said crews had to tackle the blaze defensively. He said they managed to save a structure on the north side of the property, but the main shop is lost.

It was cold in Annapolis Royal overnight with temperatures around –8 C.

Cranton said two lines froze, but crews managed to thaw them. He said icy roads in the area also made fighting the fire more challenging.

It's unclear what caused the fire, but Cranton said it isn't suspicious.