McMunn & Yates fire ruled accidental

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/11/2020 (1615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The cause of a large fire that destroyed the McMunn & Yates Building Supplies store in Steinbach has been ruled accidental by the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC).

A provincial spokesman said Friday he could provide no further information on the OFC’s investigation into the Nov. 14 incident, which caused an estimated $10 million in damage.

Reached Tuesday, Steinbach Fire Chief Kel Toews didn’t have any further details about the fire’s cause but provided insight into OFC’s terminology.

“Accidental could mean that they’ve got one or two possibilities and they can’t narrow it down, but they’ve at least ruled arson out of the picture,” he explained. “If it’s totally undetermined then they’ll say undetermined.”

Store manager Corwin Penner said Wednesday that insurance company investigators believe an electrical malfunction may have caused the fire but have yet to reach a definitive conclusion.

Penner said he learned of the fire from a customer’s text message and “pulled up to just a mass of emergency vehicles.”

“The business owner, Jason Yates, came down and sat in my truck and we just kind of watched it together in disbelief. It’s really hard to see something you pour your heart and soul into go up in flames.”

Penner said he’s thankful no staff were in the store at the time of the fire. The store had closed for the day about 90 minutes earlier.

The $10 million damage estimate includes an estimated $1 million in inventory and another $1 million in shelving, computers, office furnishings, and other assets, Penner said.

Smoke damage to the warehouse wrote off its contents, too, but the lumber yard remains fully functional and other McMunn & Yates locations are helping with shipments and deliveries.

“We’re still able to service our customers,” Penner said.

About 25 staff were displaced by the fire. Penner said they’re currently working from home.

“We are getting a construction trailer in on Friday…so then we can start basing some more operations right out of our location again,” he said.

A restoration company was busy this week cleaning the site and salvaging items from offices.

A plan to rebuild the store is still taking shape. Penner said the building owner wants to “rebuild bigger and better for us.”

He expressed gratitude to local first responders, many of whom pulled an all-nighter to get the fire under control.

He also thanked community members who have been buying coffees at the Tim Hortons drive-thru for McMunn & Yates vehicles.

“It’s been quite heartwarming to see how the public has rallied around us here,” Penner said.