A community meeting place and popular spot for people stopping off the freeway near Moncton was destroyed by fire Monday night.
The Green Pig Country Market in Salisbury was popular for its cafe and bakery, fresh produce, nodding sunflowers and intricate corn maze.
Salisbury Mayor Rob Campbell said the market is “part of the fabric of the community”.
Speak with Information tomorrow MonctonCampbell called the Green Pig the “economic backbone of the community”.
He cited the tens of thousands of people who attend the annual Sunflower Festival, making their way through the corn maze and bringing their children to enjoy the play structures.
The parking lot was often clogged with vehicles as tourists stopped for a break from the road, and locals stopped by for a loaf of fresh bread or a pumpkin to display.
Campbell said Tuesday he was grateful no one was hurt.
The owners will try to get the business back up and running, he said, adding that the recovery is important, especially since the company employs more than 40 people.
The Green Pig also has an attached farm. Since it’s harvest time, Campbell said efforts are already underway to continue harvesting the crops and selling them by trailers to ensure they don’t go to waste.
“The owners are resilient and we will get back up,” said Campbell.
Bradley McLeod, the Salisbury Fire Chief, said firefighters received a call about smoke in the area around 7:50pm on Monday.
“As soon as we got to the Green Pig and pulled into the driveway, we could see flames shooting through its back,” he said.
He said the fire started between a new addition at the back of the building and the building itself. He said the wind blew flames into the store, which caught fire.
The café and bakery sustained damage from the flames, and the rest of the building shows extensive smoke damage. From the outside, the building looks like it’s still standing, but as soon as you step through the front door, “everything inside is burned”.
“It will probably be a total write-off because of the smoke damage and a lot of the heat damage. … The fire has reached the attic so a lot of the trusses have burned up,” McLeod said.
The cause of the fire is not known.
“Last night Salisbury lost a legendary business,” the fire service said in a social media post.
“We were joined by crews from Petitcodiac, Havelock, Elgin, Moncton and Riverview to fight this fire. Everyone came together and worked flawlessly.”
