There is still no word on what caused a fire that destroyed a smokehouse at a business in Petit-Cap.
Dozens of firefighters responded to Elphège & Norbert LeBlanc Ltd. on Quai Road late Friday afternoon.
Anthony Azard, CEO of the Cap-Acadie Chamber of Commerce, said they are ready to lend a helping hand to the business owners.
“Obviously, the chamber is not able to give any financial incentives, but we’re there as moral support,” Azard said in an interview.
“We can provide them with the right resources at the right places so that they don’t have to face any barriers to make sure that the situation that they’ve been facing, which was a pretty sad situation for the business and the business owners.”
It was the second fire in recent months at the fish processing plant, which Azard said employs between 30 and 40 people.
Three of four buildings were also destroyed in a blaze that broke out during the early morning hours of July 9, 2024.
Three men were charged with arson in connection with that fire but their charges have since been withdrawn by the Crown without explanation.
There have also been fires at several other smokehouses and fish plants throughout southeastern New Brunswick in recent years.
Azard urged the community not to jump to conclusions as the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“We knew with the winds that were blowing pretty hard and the cold temperatures, there were a lot of factors that we might need to take into account when we’re thinking about the incident that happened last Friday,” he said.
“We need to make sure that the authorities are making the work that needs to be done so that we can have a clear portrait of what happened last Friday.”
Azard noted there has been a lot of support for the business owners on social media in the days following the fire.
