Fire causes significant damage to The Hopper in Cambridge
Posted May 7, 2023 06:14:28 AM.
Last Updated May 8, 2023 03:02:23 PM.
Cambridge Fire were called to the scene of a large structure fire in Preston on Saturday night.
That fire has now been deemed suspicious.
Firefighters from five stations responded to the blaze at King Street and Lowther Street around 8:35 p.m.
No injuries were initially reported as a result of the fire, and Waterloo Regional Police were on scene and closed off the area.
City’s Mark Douglas was on scene Sunday morning. He said the roof of the vacant Hopper Dance Club and Sport Pub had been completely destroyed.
“There is only a few pieces of it still left upright, the rest of it has collapsed right into the interior of the building, all the way down to the ground floor. You can see all the windows have been blown out and you can see right out the back of the building from King Street.”
The Hopper in Preston after a fire on May 6, 2023 / Mark Douglas/CityNews
Cambridge Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Brad Chuchill told CityNews 570 that the building will have to be destroyed as a result of the fire. King Street and Lowther Street will be closed all day Sunday and into Monday for that process.
Sunday afternoon the Cambridge Chief Fire Prevention Officer Eric Yates confirmed to CityNews 570 the fire is deemed suspicious and crews are attempting to discern the origin spot and cause.
Corey Kimpson, Cambridge city councillor for Ward 3, lives several blocks away from the vacant bar. She called it a huge change in the community, but offered a silver lining in the aftermath.
“It’s one of the things that we’ve dealt with in different areas of Cambridge, the revitalization, the gentrification,” Kimpson explained. “The Preston core area has been slower to catch on than the other areas. I’m looking at it now as this is an opportunity, and perhaps this may jump start some of that change.”
Regional Police and the Cambridge Fire Department are continuing to investigate.
Cambridge firefighters are still spraying down hotshots this morning after a fire last night gutted The Hopper, in a historic Preston building at King and Lowther. No injuries reported. @CityNewsKIT and https://t.co/8n8c3cpLsJ pic.twitter.com/QPudOj7Cp4
— Mark Douglas (@DouglasCityNews) May 7, 2023
A excavator continues to tear down The Hopper in Cambridge after an extensive fire Saturday night. The other half of the building came down Sunday afternoon. @CityNewsKIT pic.twitter.com/mHwFXurdPp
— Brent Cater (@BrentCaterRadio) May 8, 2023
