Chief William Hunter tells MyStratfordNow.com that firefighters were called to the scene of the blaze on Road 111 around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon where they discovered the fire appeared to be in the centre of the building.
He says a cause of the fire and a dollar amount of the damage has yet to be determined but that the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office has been called in to investigate.
He adds the fire is one of the longest in duration he has seen with crews finally clearing the area around three o’clock Monday morning.
Hunter adds that the weather made the fire hard to control.
“During the fire the wind turned probably almost 180 degrees and pushed the fire back towards the front of the store, that certainly made us change our attack.”
Hunter also wants to thank local businesses and residents who brought food and water to the scene for the firefighters as well as Stratford Transit who provided a bus for first responders to take turns resting as they battled the stubborn fire.
***With files from Wendy Gray