B.C. grocery store goes up in flames

Fire has destroyed the only major grocery store in Fort Langley, B.C.

No one was injured and adjoining businesses were saved but the Marketplace IGA store, in a downtown section of Fort Langley, was completely burned down.

A passerby noticed the fire around 5:30 Tuesday morning, according to local reports, and by the time firefighters arrived on scene the blaze was completely out of control. Before the flames were put out mid-morning, the roof and walls of the building had collapsed.

A grocery store has stood on the site for more than a century and the business became an IGA in the mid-1970s.

The store had been owned since 1975 by Peter Lee and his brother Robert. In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, Peter Lee said his family had insurance but wasn't sure if they would rebuild.

Damage was pegged at over $1 million. A cause has yet to be determined.

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