Fire destroyed a decades old restaurant in St. Boniface that went up in flames early Sunday morning.
An employee of The Paladin restaurant on Des Meurons Street was inside when the fire broke out.
"I'm just thankful to be alive," said Donald King, who started his shift around 6 a.m.
He said the deep fryer caught fire just shortly after he turned it on
"I tried 911 and the phone wouldn't work. I went out the front door, got in my car, drove down to the fire department. I banged on the door and said 'hello, the Paladin is on fire,'" said King.
This is the latest tragedy for the Paladin. In December the owner passed away. His wife is now dealing with two loses.
"I'm just distraught," said Julie Zoroneck, wife of the former owner. "I don't know what to do; I just lost my husband, now part of him is gone too."
The restaurant is a popular Sunday meeting place, but this time, it was for the wrong reason, with many stopping by to see the fire firsthand.
"Every Sunday we'd go there and then we'd go there when my daughter was little, and now she is almost 20 and she still goes there so, yea, it's shocking," said Sandra Yaeger, who lives in the area.
"It's the end of an era," said Emilie Bordeleau-Laroche. "I've been living right beside it since I was five and it's crazy to think that it would be gone."
"Everybody helps everybody, it was that kind of restaurant," said Darcy Read, who has worked at Paladin for 25 years. "It's kind of like the Cheers bar, you know, it was that kind of place."
Crews from five or six different stations were called in to battle the fire at 588 Des Meurons. It was too dangerous for people to go inside the building so firefighters are working from the outside to not only put out the blaze, but also protect the daycare next door.
"Right now it's very stubborn because it is an older building and it has been renovated numerous times so there are a lot of hidden spaces," said Platoon Chief Jim Zaborniak.
He estimated the damage at $1.5 million.
Around 30 people are now out of work, but there are plans to start over.
"I'm thinking of rebuilding, but with all the things I have to do now, but I would like to rebuild," said Zoroneck.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
An employee of The Paladin restaurant on Des Meurons Street was inside when the fire broke out.
"I'm just thankful to be alive," said Donald King, who started his shift around 6 a.m.
He said the deep fryer caught fire just shortly after he turned it on
"I tried 911 and the phone wouldn't work. I went out the front door, got in my car, drove down to the fire department. I banged on the door and said 'hello, the Paladin is on fire,'" said King.
This is the latest tragedy for the Paladin. In December the owner passed away. His wife is now dealing with two loses.
"I'm just distraught," said Julie Zoroneck, wife of the former owner. "I don't know what to do; I just lost my husband, now part of him is gone too."
The restaurant is a popular Sunday meeting place, but this time, it was for the wrong reason, with many stopping by to see the fire firsthand.
"Every Sunday we'd go there and then we'd go there when my daughter was little, and now she is almost 20 and she still goes there so, yea, it's shocking," said Sandra Yaeger, who lives in the area.
"It's the end of an era," said Emilie Bordeleau-Laroche. "I've been living right beside it since I was five and it's crazy to think that it would be gone."
"Everybody helps everybody, it was that kind of restaurant," said Darcy Read, who has worked at Paladin for 25 years. "It's kind of like the Cheers bar, you know, it was that kind of place."
Crews from five or six different stations were called in to battle the fire at 588 Des Meurons. It was too dangerous for people to go inside the building so firefighters are working from the outside to not only put out the blaze, but also protect the daycare next door.
"Right now it's very stubborn because it is an older building and it has been renovated numerous times so there are a lot of hidden spaces," said Platoon Chief Jim Zaborniak.
He estimated the damage at $1.5 million.
Around 30 people are now out of work, but there are plans to start over.
"I'm thinking of rebuilding, but with all the things I have to do now, but I would like to rebuild," said Zoroneck.
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
