The community of Atlin, British Columbia is without a general store and post office and one resident has lost their home after a fire destroyed the Sincerely Yours building, known to many as the Atlin General Store.
The store housed the post office and had an apartment attached. The resident living there was away when the fire struck, local resident Robin Armour said in a Sept. 23 interview.
It was around 3 a.m. that Armour woke up and heard the engines of fire trucks nearby. He looked out the window to see flames from the fire and went to see where they were coming from, soon learning the historic building housing the shop and post office was in flames.
“There was all the volunteer [firefighters] there,” he said, noting the strong efforts to deal with the fire.
One of those volunteer firefighters on the scene was Dani McNeil, who said the call about smoke from the roof came in around midnight.
While Atlin firefighters worked to contain the blaze, they also called for help from the Marsh Lake, Tagish and Golden Horn fire departments, who made it to the scene to assist.
The Atlin crew was thankful to the Yukon volunteer departments for their help, McNeil said.
She also noted the building was a historical structure and leaves the community without a post office, an important part of any northern community.
A cause of the fire is not yet known.
While the building’s owners could not be reached for comment, a public post on Facebook by Tina St Cyr notes thanks to the volunteer fire department, Atlin ambulance, RCMP and a long list of people in the community who provided help by calling in the fire, dealing with power lines, bringing coffee and drinks to firefighters and others on the scene.
It went on to note the fire had been contained to the corner, but the apartment and shed on the site had also been lost.
“Rick Cowan and I couldn’t ask for a better community for help and support as we will get through this,” the post reads. “One step at a time and one foot in front of the other.”
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com