Fraser Valley artisan market destroyed in fire

A Fraser Valley business is forced to pick up the pieces after a fire Tuesday morning.

Michelle Lemieux, owner of the Feral Bee Artisan and Farm Market in Cultus Lake, says she received a phone call from the RCMP around 1:20 a.m. Mounties said the storefront east of the Cultus Lake Plaza was on fire.

“So I packed my family up and we drove down — that’s about 20 minutes away — and by the time I got there, there was nothing left. It was all ashes and just rubble,” Lemieux told 1130 NewsRadio.

She says they arrived in time to see an excavator knocking down the last of the burning structure.

Lemieux says the loss includes her product business and the market that supports the sales of another 30 entrepreneur vendors.

“It extends past me, and directly into the community. My focus in opening this business was to support local artisans and farmers as a hub and a community spot for them to produce their wares and be able to sell them. Every single one of those people are now affected by this tragedy.”

She says she’s grateful for the response from the local community, who has already offered support and kind words.

“It’s proof that even through these hard times, the community is there when you’re there to support them as well. Although my heart is broken, it’s still full.”

Thanks to the Cultus Lake Fire Department, she says, the blaze was contained to the one structure and didn’t reach the surrounding forest. The cause of the fire is reportedly still under investigation.

Lemieux says she hopes to host a fundraiser event to recover the cost of products lost by vendors.

—With files from David Nadalini