An electrical fire on the morning of May 14 at The Metcalfe Restaurant here means the popular eatery and patio will likely be closed for at least a week.
Centre Wellington fire services received a call just after 10am for a structure fire at the restaurant on the northeast corner at Metcalfe Street and Mill Street East.
“The fire was behind a cooler,” said Centre Wellington Fire Chief Brad Patton. “Crews were able to quickly extinguish it.”
He said the fire was put out in about seven minutes but damage will likely force the temporarily closure of the restaurant.
“They had smoke damage and they have some electrical wiring to do and they have a number of issues to clean up before they’re allowed to re-open,” Patton explained.
There was no immediate estimate for the cost of damages and there were no injuries as a result of the fire.
No customers were in the building at the time, but staff was working to prepare for the day when the fire broke out.
Both Fergus and Elora stations responded to the call with three vehicles on the scene, Patton said.
Metcalfe owner Jason Quirke said the fire was a setback, especially so close to the Victoria Day long weekend, but he hopes to reopen quickly.
“Caught the fire this morning, caught it early,” said Quirke, who has owned the business for 15 years.
“So we’ll do what we can to get up and running as soon as possible.”
Patton said the business is “a very important building” in Elora. “It’s been here forever.”
The restaurant will remain closed until electrical and health inspections are completed.
