Fire out once more at Bluefin Restaurant

The reignited fire at the Bluefin Restaurant in Souris, P.E.I., has been put out. All fire crews have left the scene once again.

Souris fire Chief Colin LaVie said that security will be on-site overnight to monitor the area and firefighters will be called back if there is another flare-up. 

The restaurant portion of the building was demolished Thursday in the fight against the flare-up. LaVie said the Black Rafter Lounge portion will soon be torn down as well.

Firefighters were called back out on Thursday afternoon after a fire started at the restaurant on Wednesday night.

"Twelve hours later … she re-lit on us," LaVie said. The fire was in the basement, so an excavator was called to the site to tear down a section of the building so firefighters could get to it.

Multiple departments responded to the initial fire at the Souris landmark Wednesday night but were unable to save it. 

LaVie said when crews left in the early hours of Thursday morning, there weren't any hot spots.

"But you know fire, fire is a strange thing and it can cause some damage on the relay," he said.

LaVie said the crews that had returned to the scene Thursday afternoon were tired, but were doing a "tremendous job."

Many people stopped by Thursday to show support. Julia Tassell was one of them.

She said she and her two sisters had all worked at the Bluefin. Tassell said many people in Souris have strong connections to the restaurant and that it's been a staple in the community for decades.

She said the owner, Amber Jenkins, was an amazing boss.

"It's been terrible on everybody. It has been such a disaster because there's so many people who worked here," Tassell said.

"She employs so many people from our community. People who need jobs. People who have children, families — and in my opinion, Bluefin was a home to me."

Bluefin was closed to sit-in dining as part of COVID-19 public health restrictions in place across the Island.

Tassell said she was happy no one was inside because under normal circumstances, the restaurant would have been open to customers at that time of night.

"The Bluefin is actually family to me," Tassell said. "I love every one of my workers like they were my siblings and I met so many of my good friends from inside there."

The fire marshal was on scene Thursday investigating but has still not released a cause for the fire. 

LaVie said the fire marshal is expected to be on-site to continue the investigation Friday. 

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