An overnight fire has destroyed the north end of the Tommy & Lefebvre sporting goods store at 464 Bank St.
Centretown lost an iconic business to an overnight fire when a blaze of undetermined origin destroyed the Tommy & Lefebvre sporting goods store at 464 Bank St.
Twenty vehicles and nearly 100 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire just after 1 a.m. By the time they arrived, heavy smoke and flames were already coming from the roof. They were still on the scene early Tuesday morning after bringing the fire under control by about 5 a.m. Several apartments in the immediate vicinity were evacuated. No one was injured.
Fire crews were able to contain the fire damage to the north end of the large store, which covers most a block.
Kevin Pidgeon, president of Tommy & Lefebvre, told media that "this was huge loss." He could not give an estimate the cost of the damage.
Between 40 and 60 people work at the Bank Street location. They will be reassigned to the five other Tommy & Lefebvre locations around the city.
Natalie Tommy, whose father Art opened the store in 1958 with partners Andy Tommy and Reg Lefebvre, said she and her husband will try to open a temporary location somewhere downtown.
She called the fire "just devastating."