A fire at a Petitcodiac business is a big loss, according to the Mayor of the Three Rivers community.
Burgess Transportation Services, which has been in the village for 80 years, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night.
“It’s a big impact on the community, it really is. It’s a big, big loss. This is a family-run business that has been there for years and has served our community in the surrounding area. The Burgess family, it’s something they don’t deserve, but they’re strong,” Mayor Peter Saunders says.
The Mayor adds he has spoken to the owners and they already have a game plan for a temporary space and a rebuild.
Sixty employees work for Burgess Transportation, but Saunders says 40 are out on the road as truck drivers.
“We have seen some fires in our days. We’ve had a couple of main street fires in our time, and then we have had big farms burning, but it’s devastating for a small community. But three weeks ago we had an announcement of a $21 million Medical Centre, which puts everybody on a high and then we have a disaster like this. It kind of slaps us and puts it back down again. But, in small communities, we pick up, we keep going. We keep positive and keep moving forward,” Burgess stated.
In a community of around 2000 for the Village of Petitcodiac, and 4000 overall in Three Rivers, Saunders says they have come together.
“There were over 100 different firemen and women on the night of the fire. Our local grocery store and Legion opened up, and residents pulled together to make sandwiches and coffee for them. Great community support. That’s exactly what I’m very proud of.”
