Residents and community members gathered solemnly at an iconic Steveston grocery store on a rainy Saturday morning after it went up in flames the previous night.
Steveston's Super Grocer & Pharmacy at No. 1 Road and Moncton Street was on fire and sent plumes of smoke into the sky late into the evening on Friday.
People carrying umbrellas stood together in the rain, sharing memories they've had of the long-time, independent grocery store.
Steveston resident Clare Scott described the popular once "one-stop shop" now looks like a war zone.
"It is really a shock and devastating sight for myself and probably everyone in Steveston," said Scott, who used to visit the shop with her father after fishing.
"We would come by and sometimes get a sandwich or something to take down to Garry Point sand dunes.
"It's just not the same shopping at other grocery stores now because it doesn't have the charm or the history of Super Grocer."
Another resident, Vivian Wong, told the Richmond News she was heartbroken by the news.
"It's always been there," she said, recalling her family's many trips to buy last minute gifts, flowers and ice cream.
She described Super Grocer as a "gem" in Steveston as it was the community's go-to place for Asian ingredients not easily accessible elsewhere.
Wong recalled getting her Grade 12 graduation flowers from Super Grocer, and the timing of the tragedy is especially devastating because community members often purchased Lunar New Year flowers from the store.
"Every time I go in, I see people talking to each other. It's something you don't really see in the modern world that much anymore, so it's heartbreaking to see it go," said Wong.
Lina Wong, who works in the area, teared up seeing the state of the store this morning.
"It's a big loss for the community and it's pretty sad just looking at what it is now," said Lina, adding her family would choose to buy from Super Grocer over other grocery stores.
"I think of the family. They must be devastated as it's a family-operated business."
Scott, Vivian and Lina agreed the Super Grocer was known for their flowers that were always "amazingly wrapped."
Meanwhile, Richmond News reader Malia Stuart said she immediately called the fire department when the fire first started.
The 16-year-old smelled the fire around 4:45 p.m. while walking in the back alley behind the Super Grocer.
"I saw some smoke and me and another lady and man noticed no one was evacuating so we started to yell at them to let the people inside know that the building was fire," said Stuart.
Trevor Northrup, assistant deputy chief with Richmond Fire-Rescue said firefighters arrived on scene to heavy smoke coming out of the store last night.
"What we initially saw outside was heavy smoke pouring out of three sides of the building, which made entry and locating the fire difficult," said Northrup.
"It quickly became apparent there was a structural collapse hazard as this is an old building."
Firefighters deemed it a "defensive fire", meaning it was unsafe for anyone to be inside the building, and could only tackle the fire by putting "heavy volume of water on the fire" from the outside.
No reports of injuries to civilians or staff.
No. 1 Road between Moncton and Chatham streets has been closed off since Friday evening and there is no estimated time as to when the road will reopen as firefighters are investigating the incident.
Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
