The Ontario Fire Marshal's office is investigating after a fire ripped through a Renfrew commercial building, causing an estimated $10 million in damages Thursday night.
Police say the building, which houses six businesses, was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at 405 Hall Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported but about 150 people are now out of work.
"We have some really big challenges ahead of us to support people that really want to work and by no reason of their own found themselves without jobs," said Mayor Sandi Heins, who stayed on the scene until 3 a.m. Friday.
The fire comes after news that one of the town's largest employers, Teletech, will close its business in February - resulting in about 330 additional job losses.
Heins said solutions to the job losses are already being discussed.
"We have a very positive town, and when times get tough people come together," she said.
Officials are investigating to determine if the fire was a result of arson.
Police say the area around the building has been cordoned off until the investigation is complete.
Meanwhile, about 30 firefighters were called to a blaze in Aylmer after flames broke out at a boarding house just before 5 a.m. Friday.
Officials say nobody was inside the two-storey building on Patrimoine Street at the time of the incident.
