Orchid Restaurant Fire

Hello my name is Jennifer White owner of The Orchid Restaurant.

On Sunday evening we had a fire that started in the basement due to a faulty appliance, it spread quickly into the rafters and upwards.

The insurance company estimates that we will be closed for 2 to 3 months for repairs and clean up.

I'm fundraising for my staff of 10 to help supplement their missed payroll and gratuities that they count on to live and support their families. Also for personal belongings lost in the fire that the insurance company isn't going to cover.

My son and I lived above the restaurant and will have to relocate during this time. A special thank you to Heather at The Loft Gallery for offering us a place to stay.

Our alarm system went off just as we were sitting down to dinner. After determining the fire was in the basement my son called 911 while I grabbed an extinguisher, I was able to put out part of the fire but it spread so quickly, we all had to evacuate immediately. (myself, my son, his girlfriend and our two dogs)

The fire department arrived quickly and put out the fire but there is concern that structural damage was done. A few walls had to be torn apart and the whole building has smoke and water damage. The main water line burst (which helped put the fire out)

All water and Hydro had to be shut off to the building so we were going to lose all our fridge and freezer inventory. I decided to give away all the food rather than have it go to waste. I invited the staff to come fill their fridges and freezers with all they could and then contacted our neighbouring restaurants to take the rest so that very little was wasted.

Thank you to the local Fire Department for their quick response and to our neighbours for bringing blankets and drinks and to Heather at The Loft Gallery for offering us a place to live while repairs and clean up are done.