Fire in a basement meat smoker at Fichtner's/Home Market Sausage & Meats caused smoke damage in parts of the 120-foot-long Garrick Building on Duluth's First Street shortly before noon today.
Assistant Duluth Fire Chief Jim Ray said the building has a shared basement so, though the fire was pretty small, the smoke leaked into some of the half-dozen street-level shops. The noxious smoke destroyed an unknown value of merchandise less than a month before Christmas, Ray said.
The award-winning butcher shop at 134 W. First St. specializes in smoked sausages, hams and turkeys. It's their busiest time of the year, said shop owner Terry Premo. He said the St. Louis County Health Department will be in to evaluate his stock and determine what can be spared. Much of it is wrapped up in closed freezers.
He said his expects to lose at least three precious days of business but asked people to come in ready to shop next week. They have a second smoker on the first floor that's just fine, he said.
Employees at both of the butcher shop's neighbors, Belanger Inc. and Angela's Bella Flora, said they will remain open with minimal to no damage to their stock.
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The outgoing voicemail message at the flower shop said the store and everything inside it is fine and they will reopen Friday morning.
Ray said it looks like a gas leak might be the culprit behind the fire. The smoke also snuck into offices and storage space on the building's second floor.
"It wasn't so bad firewise, but it was pretty bad smokewise,'' Ray said.
Premo has been the victim of a fire before. He bought Fichtner's in 2001 after a Dec. 23, 1999, fire claimed his family business, Home Market, on 40th Avenue West in West Duluth.
"It's another kick in the gut," Premo said.
