THUNDER BAY - The owner of the 111-year-old Finnish Labour Temple says while the building is a total loss, he plans tear down the rubble and rebuild and restore the iconic structure and bring it back to what it was before Wednesday night's devastating fire.
"It's been a very long day. It's been a very long night, actually. I was en route to Sault Ste. Marie, when I got the news that the building was on fire," said Brad McKinnon, owner.
"Honestly, I thought it was one of my guys playing a prank on me, and then the pictures started coming in, phone calls from local people in Thunder Bay, text messages coming in, and then it started to sink in."
The blaze started somewhere in the upper levels of the building and then spread rapidly through the top part of the structure, forcing firefighters outside where they focused on an exterior attack.
McKinnon says that the building will have to be written off because of the extent of the damage caused by the flames and the water damage caused by crews working through the night to try to save what they could.
Not much is salvageable, including the world-famous Hoito restaurant located in the basement of the building nearing the end of its renovations is also a total loss. The news has devastated Finlandia Co-operative interim president, Paula Haapanen.
"I mean, we're all in shock, we're all in disbelief. This is a landmark, an icon, a symbol, and as I said over the course of last evening and this morning, people have been reaching out to all members of the board and have been sharing their stories on Facebook and Instagram with each other," said Haapanen.
"You know, people have our processing. So for some, this might be closure. For others, they might have suspended belief until they've seen it. I know I've intentionally stayed away from the scene because I know that emergency workers needed to work, and so we didn't need to be there."
The investigation into the cause of the fire has yet to begin. McKinnon says that they believe they know the cause of the fire and will provide information to the public once the investigation is through. A press conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
