Petit-Cap company loses a second smokehouse to fire

A smokehouse in Petit-Cap was destroyed by fire Friday afternoon, less than a year after another smokehouse owned by the same company burned down.

Platoon Chief Mathieu LeBlanc of the Cap-Acadie Fire Department said a call came in at 3:54 p.m. Friday about a fire at the Elphège & Norbert LeBlanc Ltd. Smokehouse on Chemin du Quai in Petit-Cap.

LeBlanc said firefighters were on scene for four hours at what he described as a "fully-engulfed structure fire" at a large commercial building.

"It was quite challenging because of the wind ... but we had many trucks responding, many firefighters responding," said LeBlanc.  

He said crew were able to contain the fire to one building, although windy conditions nearly caused nearby buildings to catch as well. 

LeBlanc said it was a total loss for the one building. 

Cold conditions were an added challenge for the crew, he said. About 40 firefighters were at the fire scene.

There we no injuries, LeBlanc said, but he did not know if anyone was inside at the time of the fire. He said the cause is under investigation. 

It's the latest of many fires in the region in the last several years, including several at smokehouses and other fish plants.

This is the second major fire for Elphege & Norbert LeBlanc. The business also saw a smokehouse destroyed by fire last July.

Petit-Cap is roughly 55 kilometres east of Moncton and is in the municipality of Cap-Acadie. 

Leblanc said firefighters from both Cap-Acadie fire stations responded, with mutual aid from the Port Elgin fire department. The scene was cleared by 8 p.m.

The Cap-Acadie Chamber of Commerce notified residents about the fire in a press release Friday evening.

"We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident affecting yet another business in our region," said chamber chair Natalie Cormier in the release.

"While the exact circumstances remain unknown, our thoughts are with the owners and their team during this challenging time."

Chamber CEO Anthony Azard said in the release that the business is owned by Marc and Donna Cormier. 

"The Chamber stands ready to offer its support and guide them toward the appropriate resources to help them through this ordeal," Azard said.