Charitable group's loss likely in tens of thousands of dollars after Kentville fire, owner says

John Andrew is the owner of The Purple Peacock in Kentville, N.S., and the founder of the Valley Connect Outreach Association. (CBC - image credit)
John Andrew is the owner of The Purple Peacock in Kentville, N.S., and the founder of the Valley Connect Outreach Association. (CBC - image credit)

The owner of a non-profit business damaged in a large fire in Kentville, N.S., on Tuesday says his organization's loss likely amounts to tens of thousands of dollars.

John Andrew is the owner of The Purple Peacock thrift shop on Aberdeen Street, a social enterprise of the Valley Connect Outreach Association. Profits from the store go to charity and the store also trains people facing obstacles to employment.

Andrew said he rushed to the scene after a volunteer called to tell him about the fire.

"The place was pretty engulfed, this whole street actually, you wouldn't be able to see anything on this street. It was very black with smoke," Andrew told CBC News.

Racks of blackened clothing and burnt items could be seen outside the store on Tuesday.

Andrew said he felt disheartened to see the fire. He said the shop contained a considerable number of donated items and a lot of effort had been put into making it feel like a boutique. He said the store had just celebrated its one-year anniversary a few days ago, and repairs will probably take at least six months.

A number of emergency responders were called to help with the fire on Aberdeen Street.
A number of emergency responders were called to help with the fire on Aberdeen Street.

A number of emergency responders were called to help with the fire on Aberdeen Street. (Nicola Seguin/CBC)

"The profit would have been, you know, significant in six months. And so we are going to have to sort out what we're going to do. I've already had people reach out by Facebook Messenger and text and say 'What can I do? We want to help,'" Andrew said.

The outreach association also runs shelters and a soup kitchen for vulnerable people in the area, Andrew said. He said the association will still be looking for donated items and will be fundraising until they can get the store open again.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Scott Hamilton of the Kentville Volunteer Fire Department said no injuries had been reported after fire broke out in the commercial building.

Plumes of black smoke filled the air in downtown Kentville on Tuesday afternoon as crews battled a fire at a commercial building.
Plumes of black smoke filled the air in downtown Kentville on Tuesday afternoon as crews battled a fire at a commercial building.

Plumes of black smoke filled the air in downtown Kentville on Tuesday afternoon as crews battled a fire in a two-storey commercial building. (Submitted by Peggy McCalla)

The fire prompted evacuations from surrounding buildings and traffic had to be detoured.

Smoke could be seen billowing around Main Street just before noon on Tuesday.

Peggy McCalla, 76, was with friends when she heard sirens and spotted a puff of smoke. They decided to pull over on Main Street.

"I couldn't see flames but suddenly there was a huge wall of thick black smoke," she said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The fire broke out at The Purple Peacock, a charity thrift store on Aberdeen Street in Kentville.
The fire broke out at The Purple Peacock, a charity thrift store on Aberdeen Street in Kentville.

The fire broke out at The Purple Peacock, a charity thrift store on Aberdeen Street in Kentville, N.S. (Nicola Seguin/CBC)

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