It’s been a hectic and troubling few days for the IGA in Cookshire after a fire, strongly suspected to be arson, broke out near the loading dock of the store early Sunday morning. “This is very tragic for everyone involved. It’s been a shock to the community,” said Pierre Genest-Denis, co-owner of the grocery store. It will be an uphill battle to get the IGA repaired and re-opened to the public, but Genest-Denis said he can sleep a bit easier knowing the employees, his first priority, are taken care of. “We just received confirmation, they are all covered up to 180 days,” Genest-Denis said. “That’s a huge relief for us.” Including part-timers and students, the grocery store employs 76 people. “When this happens, you realize everyone feels like a family,” Genest-Denis said, referring to the employees, and also the customers. The fire mostly impacted the loading dock and crept up into the crawl space, but the entire store was damaged by water and smoke. “We’ve had to throw away a lot of stuff,” Genest-Denis said, as a result of the damage. See full story in the Wednesday, Feb. 19 edition of The Record.
Cookshire IGA in recovery mode after weekend
By Matthew McCully
