Owner of Atlin's general store and post office 'devastated' after a fire destroys it

Residents of Atlin B.C., are now without a post office or a general store.

An overnight fire tore through Sincerely Yours and the Canada Post office last week, destroying everything within.

Tina St Cyr, the owner, said she is still coming to terms with what happened.

"I'm holding up OK," she told CBC. "It's definitely a struggle but there's been so much to do and so much to think about that it's kind of kept my brain busy and you know one step in front of the other and one thing at a time."

St Cyr said the night of the fire, she was woken up by her husband's father calling to tell her what was happening.

"We got a Facebook audio call," St Cyr explained. "Then his dad came to our house a few minutes afterwards basically telling us that we need to get down to the store right away."

When she got to the store, she was met by the RCMP and the Atlin fire department who were already on scene.

"It was just … oh wow," she said. "There was smoke starting to seep out around all of the edges of the roof and they were trying to figure out what was going on and I gave them my keys and they were able to go through the back door briefly."

St Cyr says by the time the crews entered the building the fire had already grown too big.

"The fire broke through the one exterior wall by the oil tank and as much as they tried to contain it, it appeared to be in the attic as well … the wind was just gusting and it just went up into an inferno," she said.

St. Cyr said it was devastating to watch this unfold right in front of her eyes.

"'You're looking at something you can't believe is happening," St Cyr said. "It's just surreal."

It's still unclear what started the fire, she said, but hopes for more answers as the investigation into the incident continues.

Not just a store but a community hub

St Cyr said the building was a pillar in the Atlin community.

"Five years ago, I had the opportunity to put the post office in," she said. "It's amazing in a small town the post office is one of those things where you see and meet everybody. There is always a chance you'll run into somebody you haven't seen in awhile. It's definitely a devastating loss."

St Cyr said she has been in contact with Canada Post discuss options to have temporary service offered. She isn't sure what that will look like at the moment but hopefully the community will have a bit more information by the end of the week.

As for the next steps for the store, she said her focus is to clean up the site.

"I don't think given the lateness of the year that rebuilding is going to be possible," she explained. "We're still dealing with the insurance adjusters and still basically trying to figure out our next steps."

St Cyr also gave her community a shout out, and thanked everyone for their support.

"They're amazingly supportive," she said. "They've been reaching out and asking if there's anything they can do, how they can help and what we need. It's just been absolutely amazing."