Pembroke – A well-known landmark in the city’s west end suffered heavy damage early last Thursday morning when fire broke out in the Kingburger Restaurant.

At approximately 7:45 a.m., the Pembroke Fire Department (PFD) was dispatched to 1294 Pembroke Street West for reports of smoke coming from the building.

Chief Scott Selle said the duty crew was initially dispatched with one pumper truck, but when the call was upgraded to a structure fire shortly afterwards, all available personnel were called in to assist.

He said two employees from a garage across the street were the first to notice smoke and ran to the scene attempting to extinguish the fire.

“They forced the rear door open, and they had an extinguisher with them, but they couldn’t make entry because of the conditions inside,” Chief Selle said. “They did attempt to use the extinguisher effectively, but unfortunately, they just couldn’t get in.”

He said when the garage employees opened the door, flames were visible inside the building. That was confirmed when an officer of the PFD did his initial walk-around upon arrival.

He said a search verified there was no one inside the building at the time of the fire.

The department responded with their full fleet of equipment, including the aerial ladder truck, which was deployed for its pumping capabilities only. About 20 personnel were on scene for most of the day putting out hot spots.

When asked if the building, which was reported to have sustained major damage, would be salvageable, Chief Selle said that would have to be determined by engineers and the insurance company. He added the owner did have insurance on the property.

The fire was contained to the interior of the building and firefighters used an aggressive attack once inside.

“Some of the operations were conducted from the exterior, however, it was definitely an offensive fire attack,” he remarked.

He said while most calls involve loss, he said when it involves a local landmark like the Kingburger, it can be tough on personnel as well.

“I think so,” he responded when asked if a fire like this impacts personnel differently. “I know it’s hard on me.

“Growing up in Pembroke, there was a lot of father/son time spent there on lunches during the summer breaks and that,” he added. “There was a lot of good memories there and I know that there’s a lot of people in the community who feel the same way.”

He said he hopes the owners are able to get back on their feet quickly.

“We have handed the scene back over to the owner, but the investigation is still ongoing,” he said Friday.

The cause of the fire is unknown currently. Firefighters remained on scene until about 6 p.m.

The Kingburger has been in the Saunders family for  three generations after opening in 1960.64 years, starting with Myles who later sold the business to his son, Luke. In a social media post Friday, the younger Mr. Saunders said it was with great sadness and heavy hearts he confirmed the closing of the Kingburger Pembroke for the foreseeable future due to the fire.
“Luckily there were no employees or customers in the building when the fire started and there were no injuries,” he wrote.

He said the road ahead is definitely uncertain and with that comes a degree of fear and apprehension “but we will get through this and with any luck be back to serving up the best burgers in town”.
Mr. Saunders extended his thanks to the fire department for their immediate response and for their brave and incredible efforts in saving as much of the building as possible.

Appreciation was also extended to the Ontario Provincial Police for being on scene to take statements and secure the area, ensuring anyone in the immediate vicinity was a safe distance from the blaze. He extended his thanks to the owners and employees at True Centre, across the street, for noticing the fire early and calling 911.

“Without them, the damage would no doubt have been worse and the potential for injury to first responders far greater,” he posted.

He extended a very special thanks to True Centre employees Shawn Stickles and Justin Bennett who noticed the fire and ran across the street with fire extinguishers and kicked in the back door in an effort put out the fire and save the building.

“The courage, character and selflessness they showed was absolutely incredible and words cannot express our gratitude for their efforts,” he said.
Mr. Saunders thanked the community for the tremendous outpouring of support and words of encouragement during this difficult time and for all of the support over the last 64 years.

Mr. Saunders thanked his staff, especially his full timer employees Debbie Demers and Christa Venasse, for their hard work, passion, dedication and loyalty.

“Debbie has been with the restaurant for 25 years and Christa for 11 years and words cannot express my gratitude for all they have done for me, for the Kingburger and for our customers,” he said.