Fire destroys 'historic' Saskatchewan A&W location

An early morning blaze has decimated a beloved restaurant in Prince Albert.

The Prince Albert Fire Department responded to a 911 call around 5:10 a.m. Wednesday after an employee inside the A&W located at 11 Street West discovered a fire had started in the kitchen.

“Our crews made entry into the building and tried to extinguish but it was determined early on that the fire had already spread into the attic space and broke through onto the roof,” said deputy fire chief Alex Paul.

Paul said within 15 minutes of arriving on scene firefighters had to withdraw from the building.

“All of our efforts were focused on fighting the fire from the exterior at that point,” Paul said.

Trevor Montgomery, owner of A2Z Safety and Training centre located across from the A&W, recalls visiting the restaurant with his parents as a kid.

“I believe this is one of the oldest A&W in Canada from what I understand, I believe it was built in the late 60s so it is sad for our area to lose another historic building,” Montgomery said.

The fire department asked the public to stay away from the area until the scene had been cleared.

"There is a lot of water on the street and we’ve got firefighters and police and the roads are barricaded in that area,” Paul said on Monday.

While yet to be determined, the Prince Albert Police do not believe the cause of the fire is suspicious.

No injuries were reported.