![]() Hydro and paramedics were on scene, and southbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway were closed until 6 a.m. “It’s a big loss for sure, and for the people operating it.” Gueulette said in all, about 35 firefighters were at the scene, but the fire spread fast, which he attributed to the age and openness of the structure, which was framed with timbers. Tenders brought water from pressurized hydrants at the Nanaimo Airport across the highway. In the eight minutes it took crews to reach the site, the fire surged, triggering alarms and mutual-aid supports from the Extension, North Cedar and North Oyster fire departments.Ī ladder truck was deployed and firefighters hit the blaze from above and several other angles. Wednesday, and photos from the person who reported it showed a small fire.īut that changed quickly, he said. Ron Gueulette, chief of the Cranberry volunteer fire department, said the call came in at 2:47 a.m. Over the past year, Bird and Anderson hosted community days, supported food system and education projects from co-ops and school farms, fundraised for community causes and built a network with Central Island producers to continue the tradition of a family-run farm market. “We know we provided a space that featured real, local food and brought people together.” “ worked directly with 32 local producers, makers, bakers and artists, hired three women from Cassidy to complete our all-woman team and were able to uplift the farming community to build a space where more Island products were accessible to the Island community. “We did almost everything we’d hope to do in our first year of business,” Bird and Anderson said in a statement. Before the fire, the market was just getting into the rhythm as a hub for local farmers and artisans and a meeting place in the community. Whirly Bird, who graduated from Vancouver Island University’s entrepreneurial training program last fall, and fellow food entrepreneur Sabrina Anderson started their own renovations to the market in February, and launched Stray Moat Farm Market on Mothers Day with an all-woman team and a fresh take on the space. ![]() The blaze not only destroyed the history, it torched the dreams of young entrepreneurs who had recently leased the market. It has stood along the Trans-Canada Highway for decades, selling local produce, dairy, foods - and lately artisan goods - to travellers and locals south of Nanaimo.īut within a matter of an hour, much of the Cassidy Farm Market was reduced to ashes as a fire ripped through the timber-frame structure.
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