Coyote's closed after blaze
Owner worried more than $100,000 damage won't be fully covered by insurance
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Coyote's Steakhouse and Lounge will be closed until further notice following a fire early Sunday morning which caused more than $100,000 in damage, according to the city.
City spokesperson Nalini Naidoo said fire crews received a report of smoke coming from the restaurant on Range Lake Road shortly before 5 a.m.
The Yellowknife fire department responded to reports of a fire at Coyote's Steakhouse and Lounge early Sunday morning. The blaze caused an estimated $100,000 in damage, according to the city. - Dana Bowen/NNSL photo |
Crews arrived on scene about 10 minutes later to find heavy smoke coming from the rear of the building and additional firefighters and equipment summoned to assist.
Firefighters entered the building through the main entrance, making their way to the back of the building where the kitchen is located and fought the fire for about 40 minutes until it was under control, said Naidoo.
Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours cleaning up and monitoring for hot spots. About 25 firefighters in total were involved in fighting the fire.
In a letter posted on a local media site, But wrote he had locked up the restaurant at 3:30 a.m., and the next thing he knew the restaurant was on fire.
"Everything we worked so hard for. All the blood, sweat and tears. Gone in a matter of hours," he said.
"I'm still in shock, trying to process what happened and quite upset. But more than anything, I'm thankful no one was injured."
This isn't the first time an incident occurred at the restaurant that caused major damage.
Pipes in the establishment burst during a three-hour power outage in December 2013, resulting in more than $50,000 in damages and a three-week closure. As part of the repairs, a number of additions were made, including new windows, tables and chairs in the lounge, along with bar stools, a big screen television and a V.I.P area.
But told Yellowknifer on Monday that because of the large insurance claim made last time, he is worried the fire damage won't be fully covered.
"I'm worried insurance won't cover everything," he said. "Right now we have no idea how long we'll be closed and without income for our family of six."
But said already the community has come forward to offer support and spearhead fundraising drives. He said he hopes to have some answers by the end of the week.
"For now we don't know what happened or how the fire started," he said.
The restaurant is closed until further notice and the scene has been turned over to the NWT Fire marshal for further investigation.
Fire marshal Chucker Dewar told Yellowknifer he expects to know more later in the week but the investigation is currently in preliminary stages and it is too early to determine a cause or whether the incident is suspicious.
"We're pretty early on. We haven't made any determination at this time. It's hard to say," he said.
