It’s been over six months since a devastating fire on Ottawa’s Somerset Street West destroyed four local businesses, and a number of apartments.

Fortunately no one was injured in the October, 2015 blaze but the losses were significant, leaving many to wonder when, or even if the Shiraz Food Market, the Middle East Bakery, The Daily Grind Café, and A Dark Cloud Tattoo Studio would ever return.

Half a year later, a flicker of hope. The site is still a gaping hole where the building used to stand, but the Shiraz Food Market has re-opened at a new location on Somerset, just a few blocks west.

It’s welcome news for long-time fans of the store that’s known for its wide selection of exotic spiced nuts and other Middle-Eastern fare. “They left a huge gap when they were gone,” says customer Brian Smith. “And now it’s two times the space so that’s great.” “I’m very pleased,” adds Michael Shea. “ I came some distance out of my way to come here this morning.”

“The six months (were) very hard,” says owner Vali Shahheydari. He says he had insurance, but it didn’t cover nearly what he lost. “I could fight with them but I wanted to re-open as soon as possible,” he says.

It’s been a very different six months for Shahheydari’s former neighbour, the Middle East Bakery.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride emotionally,” says Christine Jaber-Daher. Her entire family ran the popular Middle East Bakery. As devastating as it was, the fire wasn’t the family’s only setback. Just one day later, Jaber-Daher’s mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Her father, already battling cancer, never recovered from the loss of his beloved business. “My father passed away two months ago and he was the heart of the bakery,” says a grieving Jaber-Daher.

She says the family recently settled with its insurance company, adding that it too was nowhere near enough. It is unlikely the Middle East Bakery will ever return. “It’s hearbreaking,” she says. “The hole that’s in that ground is the hole that’s in our hearts as well.”

One fire. Two very different outcomes. The fate of the site itself still to be decided. A reminder that, for some, the disaster lingers long after the flames are doused.

For Vali Shahheydari, he’s still looking at a few empty shelves, and still trying to get the word out that his store has finally arisen from the ashes.

Fortunately, his determination and optimism are fire-proof. “I think everything will be OK.”