Community shows 'overwhelming' support after Goderich Home Hardware fire, owner says

The owner of a Goderich hardware store that was gutted by a 13-hour long weekend fire says he's overwhelmed by the community's support for his family and staff in the wake of the blaze.

Still, Richard Watson, the owner of Watson's Home Hardware locations in Goderich and Gorrie, says his business partners and himself are "in limbo" and unable to take stock of their loss while they wait for a fire investigation to conclude.

"At this point, I own a lot with a bunch of rubble on it that I can't even walk on. That's where we're at," Watson said. "I think why we're able to handle it is because of the support. This community has confidence in us. That's our light at the end of the tunnel."

The fire began around 7 p.m. on Saturday as fire crews were faced with heavy smoke and heat at the front of the store, said Jeff Wormington, Goderich's fire chief. Unable to enter the store and concerned about flammable fuel inside, crews hunkered down in the parking lot and fought the fire for 13 hours before it was extinguished.

"We had assistance from six departments and approximately 100 firefighters on scene. At this point, we're working alongside investigators from the Fire Marshal's office and the Huron OPP to determine a cause," Wormington said, adding that arson had not been ruled out as of Monday afternoon.

Watson arrived shortly after fire crews were on scene, and said the support from the local community was immediately apparent.

"We were standing there looking on, and people came up to talk to us. Even after that, my phone has been going off constantly. Every supplier we deal with, customers, family, neighbours — everybody is reaching out," Watson said.

Those messages of support have been comforting in a time of uncertainty, he said.

"Every time we think we have something figured out, there's something else," said Watson. "I think if we felt we were out here alone it would be different. But [the support means] we know we're going to get back up and going — ready to serve our community and friends."

While the longer-term future may be uncertain, in the short-term Watson said he plans to make sure his employees are taken care of.

Watson said it's too early for an estimate of the monetary cost for damage done.

Wormington provided a preliminary estimate that approximately $2 million of store inventory could be lost, but could not set a dollar figure on the financial impact from damage done to the building.