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Ashmont business lost to blaze

The community of Ashmont is feeling a large loss, following a structure fire on Saturday morning that consumed a business that is well known across the Lakeland – Porky’s Bar & Grill.
Firefighters battle the flames at Porky’s Bar & Grill on Saturday morning.
Firefighters battle the flames at Porky’s Bar & Grill on Saturday morning.

The community of Ashmont is feeling a large loss, following a structure fire on Saturday morning that consumed a business that is well known across the Lakeland – Porky’s Bar & Grill.

The Ashmont Fire Department was dispatched to the call a little before 6 a.m. on Nov. 4, according to fire chief James Preston.

“As firefighters were responding to the fire hall, flames were visible from a distance,” said Preston. “When crews arrived on scene, the flames had already burnt through a portion of the roof of the restaurant. A defensive attack was initiated to protect nearby structures, as entry into the building was unsafe at that time.”

Crews were also immediately requested from Mallaig. Firefighters battled the flames in -20.0 temperatures for 10 hours, but unfortunately, the structure was a complete loss, said the chief.

“It was determined during the firefight that the structure was unstable for crews to enter the building, and heavy equipment was brought in from the County of St. Paul to assist fire fighters in extinguishing the blaze,” explained Preston.

In total, 25 firefighters from Ashmont, Mallaig, and St. Paul responded to the fire, and nearly 230,000 litres of water were needed completely extinguish the fire.

No cause has been determined, and no dollar estimate has been assigned at this time, says Preston.

Shortly after 6:15 a.m., long-time community member and County of St. Paul Councillor Dale Hedrick says he received a call from someone, letting him know about the fire.

When he arrived, Hedrick says the roof of the building was already on fire. He stayed for a couple of hours while firefighters battled the blaze.

“It was totally done. It was fully engulfed.”

Hedrick, who was a regular customer of the restaurant, described the business as being a gathering place for the community, somewhere people could gather for food and drinks. The current owners would host a number of events, which would draw people in from around the Lakeland.

Watching fire crews battle the blaze, Hedrick says the lack of fire hydrants in the community is something he would like to bring up to council. While he understands the current infrastructure likely wouldn’t be able to support hydrants, it is something he would like to see installed, eventually.

“It’s something as a councillor that I want to look into getting, for situations like this,” says Hedrick.

Overall, the loss of the town’s only restaurant will be felt throughout the community.

“It’s a big loss for the town.”

Hedrick notes that he’s heard concern from the owners of the general store in town also; stating the restaurant and the store relied on each other to bring business into Ashmont.

And while Porky’s Bar & Grill may have only been a staple in Ashmont in more recent years, the building itself stood on Ashmont’s main street since the mid-1930s, according to a long-time resident of the area, Dwayne Newby.

In 1930, a building was constructed on the site, as a general store. That building was also consumed by fire, but was rebuilt in about 1936. In the 1960s, Newby’s grandparents Howard and Juanita Cutshaw bought the building, and continued to operate it as a general store, known to many as Cutshaw’s General Store.

Newby says he spent a lot of time at the store, especially after his dad purchased a service station down the road. The Cutshaw family sold the store in the mid 1980s, and it changed hands a couple more times before being purchased by its current owners, who turned the building into a restaurant.

“We live in a very small community. It was a business that we did not need to lose,” says Newby, adding, “Right now, you can’t buy a cup of coffee in the town of Ashmont. It’s one of those things that’s just another knife in the heart of a community.”

The restaurant had many regular customers, says Newby, adding, the summers were especially busy, with Wednesday night steak nights drawing in people from around the area.

For many people, such as Hedrick and Newby, the fire has created a hole in the community of Ashmont that will not easily be filled.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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