‘It’s definitely a big hit on us, we are just a non-profit’

KAMLOOPS – The manager of a downtown thrift shop is saying the store will be closed for at least a week after a fire that broke out this morning.

"It's definitely a big hit on us, we are just a non-profit," said Regan Wilson, store manager of Thrift City on Seymour Street.

Kamloops Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire at 342 Seymour St. around 5 a.m. today.

Regan said furniture left behind the store caught fire causing external damages to the building. He doesn't know what started the fire, but he said street people are known to hang out in the alley ways behind the shop.

"Maybe they dropped a cigarette or something," he said.

Damages included the scorched backdoor drop-off area, water damage and smoke damage to store products yet to be determined.

"It's pretty significant for us," Wilson said.

The building next door was evacuated this morning as a precaution and the street was closed between 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue for a few hours. It has since been reopened. The alley behind the store remains closed while crews continue to investigate.

No information has been released on the cause of the fire.

To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.