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The Charlottetown Farmers’ Market has been damaged by a fire that broke in the early hours of Christmas Day, leaving some vendors wondering about what this means for them.
In a social media post, the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market Co-operative said that it will be closed for the “foreseeable future” as a result of the fire.
It added that the co-operative will be “looking for a temporary space to operate” in the meantime.
“There was significant damage to a portion of the exterior of the building, as well as smoke damage,” read the statement.
A link to a GoFundMe fundraiser was shared alongside the statement, and it raised more than $2,000 in an hour.
The market, which is a staple location for many islanders, opens every Saturday morning and hosts around 60 permanent local vendors.
Claudia Pérez, owner of El Sabor de Mexico and a vendor at the market, said when she woke up she got a message from her daughter asking her if she had heard about the fire. She said she drove past the market and was really upset seeing all the damage.
“I was very very sad,” she said. “Part of the market is gone.”
Pérez said many vendors depend on the market for their livelihood. She said she’s concerned about how this fire will impact their pocketbooks.
It will be difficult to find a place that can accommodate that many vendors, she said, adding the uncertainty is putting a big damper on her Christmas day.
“We don’t know when we’re going to open,” she said.
“Our hearts go to the vendors and the people that frequent the market,” said deputy fire chief Kent Mitchell.
He said crews were dispatched to 100 Belvedere Ave. at around 3 a.m. AT on Thursday.
He says the firefighters spent the next three hours suppressing the fire, and then they stayed at the scene on fire watch until 8:30 a.m.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
Mitchell added that “there is a fair bit of fire damage to the front of the building,” and also smoke damage in the remainder of the market.
“Once we get a better look, get our investigation wrapped up, we’ll have a better idea of the extent of what the damage is.”
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