One year after a devastating fire, the Bridal Falls Centre remains closed as a family looks to rebuild.
Jess and Janet Jeon, whose parents own Rancher’s Restaurant, a Shell gas station and an RV campground, have started a GoFundMe to rebuild the family-owned businesses.
Last June, an RV caught fire at the Bridal Falls Shell station. When firefighters arrived, the gas bar was fully engulfed and the fire had spread to the store adjacent to the pumps. A total of 33 firefighters fought the blaze and it was under control within an hour. Three people were injured in the fire.
Earlier this year, the RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit attended to the site of the fire to dispose of about 50 old detonator caps buried under the gas station about 40 years ago, old but still live. Police later determined that the caps were no threat in the state they were and were likely buried along with garbage and leftover materials in a large hole, which was common practice years ago.
The Jeon sisters said that the temporary closure of Bridal Falls Centre has stretched longer than anyone anticipated.
“For our parents, this has meant almost a year without the income that supported both the business and our family,” they wrote. “While insurance has helped with some costs, it has not covered everything, and rebuilding has been slow, expensive, and complicated.”
The Jeon family has worked over the course of the past year, going through cleanup, repairs, permit processes, insurance claims in hopes of reopening as soon as possible.
Jess and Janet said the family suffered further setbacks when their father broke his collarbone while trying to complete some of the work himself.
“We both currently live abroad, and while our parents continue managing the rebuilding process themselves, we wanted to create this fundraiser to help ease some of the financial pressure and support the work still ahead,” the sisters said. “Any contribution, no matter the amount, will go directly toward rebuilding Bridal Falls Centre and helping our parents get the business operating again. If you’ve stopped by Bridal Falls Centre over the years, visited Bridal Veil Falls, stayed at the campground, eaten at Rancher’s Restaurant, or simply want to support a local family business, we appreciate your support.”
As of press time, the fundraiser is nearly halfway toward their $10,000 goal. If you wish to contribute, the link to the fundraiser is available now on The Observer’s website.