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Fire destroys Manitoba town’s only grocery store

May 8, 2013, Marchand, Man. – A fire has completely destroyed the grocery store on Main Street in Marchand, Man.

La Broquerie Fire Chief Alain Nadeau says RCMP were the first to respond to what they thought was a burglar alarm at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

He says police saw flames shooting out the back of the building and called the fire department.

Nadeau says firefighters couldn't save the grocery store so they focused their efforts on stopping the fire from spreading to fuel tanks at the front of the building.

Nadeau says the cause of the fire is still under investigation but it is believed to be electrical in nature.

He says the store was experiencing some electrical issues and someone had been working on the building's electrical systems as late as Monday evening.

Damage is estimated at $500,000.

Wilfred Chabot, former owner of the grocery store, said the loss is a huge one for the community, located southeast of Steinbach.

"To see it all gone like that overnight, it's heartbreaking," he said. "It's the only business we have in town for gas and groceries."

The building also housed the community's post office. For now, people who live in Marchand have been told they'll have to go to the postmaster's house to pick up their mail.