A fire damaged a Second Avenue East two-storey warehouse that is home to Studio West Bronze Foundry and Gallery, Feb. 3.
The early-afternoon fire extensively damaged the structure of the building, but the business was relatively unharmed and should be able to open doors again soon, Cochrane Fire Chief Mac deBeaudrap said.
The fire was discovered by the building’s owners, Don and Shirley Begg. Cochrane Fire Services, with help from the Springbank department, soon had the blaze under control.
“The sculpting studio suffered extensive damage, but the foundry wasn’t affected,” said Shirley, who was in the building when she was alerted to the fire alarms. “All of our staff continue to work in the foundry.”
The fire was in the building’s attic space, deBeaudrap said, making it difficult to extinguish.
“The fire is still under investigation right now,” he said. “No details are being released. There’s no reason to believe the fire is suspicious, but we still need to determine the cause.”
There were no injuries.
“We are understandably shaken and upset at the loss,” Shirley commented. “We sure appreciate the help of the staff, our friends and the firefighters.”
