Firefighters battled Thursday to contain a fire at the Clearwater Market along Highway #17 near Clearwater Bay, Ontario. The main store was gutted, and crews fought hard to keep the adjacent fuel tanks from igniting. They got help from an MNRF helicopter, as smoke billowed from the site.

The alarm came in around 4:30 p.m. Black smoke could be seen from Kenora, as flames burned through the building.

Pam Willms runs the Pinewood Restaurant just west of the market and saw the fire start in the west end of the store. She added they could tell when the fireworks display caught fire and went off.

"We've had a business burn down. So, it's very disappointing," she said, noting the Pinewood burned close to 40 years ago. Willms adds, "We only make our really good money is a short period of time. We're such a community of serving tourists, and they are primary in this area."

Close to two hours after the fire was initially reported, fire crews and witnesses said the fire appeared to be contained, with the neighbouring fuel tanks and the propane tanks still intact.

(Photo credit: Randy Peters)