Northwestern Ontario community reeling after large restaurant fire

A recent fire that razed a popular northwestern Ontario restaurant along Highway 17 in Vermillion Bay has left people reeling, says the mayor that represents the community.

Busters BBQ burned to the ground Monday night, and Ontario Provincial Police are now investigating the blaze.

"It was a destination restaurant that many people came for," said Drew Myers, the mayor of the municipality of Machin, which includes Vermillion Bay.

Dryden OPP said officers attended the fire, along with the Machin Fire Department Monday night. Staff at the Vermilion Bay municipal offices told CBC News that firefighters were still at the scene throughout the following morning.

When he first heard about the blaze, Myers said he was concerned for the safety of the owners and for the volunteer firefighters who battled the flames, adding that it reminded him of a fire that destroyed another popular restaurant, the Village Corner, six years ago.

In the aftermath of the blaze, Myers said he does not know what the owners have planned, but he hopes the business will re-open in Vermillion Bay.

The restaurant's websitenotedthe location was already closed for the winter, and that the operators who also market a line of Buster's BBQ sauce were at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto at the time.