Cause of the fire that caused significant damage to the historic Sexsmith Grocery Store is still under investigation.
Fire crews from Sexsmith and surrounding area responded to the blaze at around 12:45 a.m. Sunday to find smoke and flames inside the building; they would contain the fire to the single building by accessing the fire through walls and the roof.
“The interior of the grocery store sustained heavy smoke damage, but outside of that, the majority of the fire was contained to the back side,” said County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service District Fire Chief Bryan Hall.
He said fire crews were able to contain a majority of the blaze to the backside storage area but some of the main grocery store area and attic space were also damaged.
Hall said the adjacent post office did not take any damage aside from “taking in some smoke.”
“There's proper firewalls and separation between the two (buildings), and it didn't actually breach into that side of the structure to put impingement onto the post office, so they were unaffected,” he said.
The County Fire Marshall office is investigating the fire's cause, and says no injuries were reported.
A media release from the Town of Sexsmith says “there is no information suggesting foul play, though the investigation is ongoing.”
Potter says she quickly learned of the fire since her husband serves in the fire department.
“Obviously it's a devastating situation, and just heartbreaking for the owners and the community,” she said.
Potter anticipates at least a temporary loss of the grocery store will impact the community, noting that some people do not have the resources to go to Grande Prairie for their grocery needs.
“It’s funny to call a grocery store an institution, but the reality is that everybody has been in there, and everybody has used that building.
“It’s an investment in the community when you have a store like that, and it’s just a really heartbreaking and sad situation.”
Potter said she is hopeful that the owners will reopen the grocery store in the future.
David Sexsmith, a trapper, trader, prospector, freighter and the town’s namesake, opened a small general store in 1916 near the corner of 100 St. and 99 Ave. fronting the latter roadway. The store provided goods and services to the town’s predominantly rural community.
In 1921, David Sexsmith’s store and lot were purchased by the Richards McNaughton Company Limited, General Merchants. That same year the company constructed a new, larger store on the lot, with the storefront facing 100 St. rather than 99 Ave.
The store also served as an ad-hoc social hub for Sexsmith. A large furnace and benches placed near radiators, encouraged patrons to sit and socialize in the store, especially during the cold winter months.
In 2020, the town recognized the store as a municipal historic resource.
The statement of significance for the store in the Municipal Historic resource document says the store held a “prominent role in the commercial and social development of Sexsmith.”
With files from Austin Payeur