The city's west end Shoppers Drug Mart has partially re-opened.
A spokesperson for parent company Loblaw Companies Ltd. told StratfordToday that the pharmacy at the Huron Street location is open and accepting patients during regular operating hours through the store’s side door.
A security team is assisting with that, the spokesperson said. The front of the store, cosmetics department, and post office remain closed.
A fire broke out on Jan. 28 at the store. Stratford Fire Chief Neil Anderson said last month that a 911 call came from an employee and there were two employees who exited the building. Firefighters discovered smoke from floor to ceiling. A sprinkler system activated above the freezer, keeping the fire mostly contained to that area.
The fire was extinguished, the building was ventilated and electrical was isolated. Anderson said the suspected cause of the fire is the freezer unit, but whether it was mechanical or electrical has yet to be confirmed.
No injuries were reported.
Smoke mitigation was also performed on the second floor Star Family Health Team medical space. Anderson said Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) was contacted and will work with the business owner and doctor’s office upstairs on precautions and what is required to clean up and reopen.
Because it sells food, Shoppers Drug Mart is routinely inspected by HPPH. A spokesperson for HPPH said a public health inspector was completing an assessment and working with representatives from Shoppers Drug Mart, the remediation company, and the fire department to reduce risks to the public, and that the company is developing a reopening plan.
